GHTS  OF  COLUMBUS 

in 

PEACE  AND  WAR 


JOHN  B- KENNEDY 


THE  LIBRARIES 


Bequest  of 

Frederic  Bancroft 

1860-1945 


.^^^ 


HIS   F.MINEXCE  JAMES   CARDINAL  GIBBONS 

"If  1  may  sinirleont  one  society  without  pro;udice  to  the  merits  of  the  others.  I  will  nume  in  particular  manner  that  splenriid  oraRn- 
lantion,  the  Kniithis  of  Columl.ua.     Thtry  are  our  joy  and  crown.    They  aro  Uie  g\nry  of  Jerusalem.    They  are  the  joy  of  Israel      They  are 
alumny  raiaea  its  toul  head,  they  are  ever  ready,  like  true  Kndrhts,  to  amite  the  enemy.     Whenever 


I  H[>r<'«l  itt  made  in  the  cause  of  rehtfon  or  charity,  they  t 


they  H 
ys  fon 


ending  a  helpine  hand. ' 

I  Cardinal  Gibbona.  Archbishop  of  Baltimore. 


THE 

KNIGHTS  OF  COLUMBUS 


IN 


PEACE    AND    WAR 


BY 

MAURICE  FRANCIS  EGAN 

AND 

JOHN  B.  KENNEDY 


IN   TWO   VOLUMES 


ST.  IGNATIUS'  RESiDxi^i.% 
PORTLAND 


Volume  I 


KNIGHTS  Of  CfOtUMBUS 
NEW    HAVEN,    CONNECTICUT 


9  y  ^    9  / 
V.  / 


Copyright,  1920 

BY 

THE  KNIGHTS  OF  COLUMBUS 


3  H^l  ^ 


•     •  .•  < 


FOREWORD 


Open  Letter  of  the  Catholic  Archbishops  of  America, 

April,  1917 


The  Voice  of  the  Hierarchy 

STANDING  iiTmly  upon  our  Catholic  tradition  and  history^  from 
the  ver^  foundation  of  this  nation,  we  reaffirm  in  this  hour  of  stress 
and  trial  our  most  sacred  and  sincere  loy^alt^  and  patriotism  to 
our  country,  our  government  and  our  flag. 

Moved  to  the  very  depths  of  our  hearts  by  the  stirring  appeals  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States  and  by  the  action  of  our  National  Con- 
gress, n>e  accept  wholeheartedly  and  unreservedly  the  decree  of  that 
legislative  authority  proclaiming  our  country  to  be  in  a  state  of  rvar. 

We  have  prayed  that  we  might  be  spared  the  dire  necessity  of  the 
conflict;  but  now  that  war  is  declared  we  bow  in  obedience  to  the  sum- 
mons to  bear  our  part  in  it,  with  fidelity,  with  courage  and  with  the 
spirit  of  sacrifice  which  as  loyal  citizens  we  are  bound  to  manifest  for 
the  defense  of  the  most  sacred  rights  and  the  welfare  of  the  whole  nation. 

Acknowledging  gladly  the  gratitude  that  we  have  always  felt  for  the 
protection  of  our  spiritual  liberty  and  the  freedom  of  our  Catholic  insti- 
tutions under  the  flag,  we  pledge  our  devotion  and  our  strength  in  the 
maintenance  of  our  country's  glorious  leadership  in  those  possessions  and 
principles  which  have  been  America's  proudest  boast. 

Inspired  neither  by  hate  nor  by  fear,  but  by  the  holy  sentiment  of 
truest  patriotic  fervor  and  zeal,  we  stand  ready,  we  and  all  the  flock 
committed  to  our  keeping,  to  co-operate  in  every  way  possible  with  our 
President  and  our  National  Government,  to  the  end  that  the  great  and 

m 


iv  Foreword 

hol\)  cause  of  liberty  shall  triumph.  Our  people  now,  as  ever,  tvill  rise 
as  one  man  to  serve  the  nation;  our  priests  and  consecrated  rvomen  Jvill 
once  again,  as  in  ever])  former  trial  of  our  countr}),  win  by  their  braver}), 
their  heroism  and  their  service,  nerv  admiration  and  approval.  We  are 
all  true  Americans,  ready  as  our  age,  ability  and  condition  permit,  to  do 
whatever  is  in  us  to  do,  for  the  preservation,  the  progress  and  the  triumph 
of  our  beloved  country. 

May  God  direct  and  guide  our  President  and  our  Government,  that 
out  of  this  trying  crisis  in  our  national  life  may  at  length  come  a  closer 
union  among  all  citizens  of  America,  and  that  an  enduring  and  blessed 
peace  may  crown  the  sacrifices  that  war  inevitably  entails. 


PREFACE 


THIS  book  is  offered  to  the  public  because  of  an  immediate 
demand.  To  write  a  history  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
would  be  like  proposing  to  publish  the  first  volume  of  an 
encyclopedia  of  the  events  of  any  century  before  that  century  is 
finished.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  are  nothing  if  not  progres- 
sive, and  progress  means  the  use  of  continual  stepping  stones 
to  higher  things;  but  the  sudden  and  effective  emergence  of  the 
Order  from  its  quiet  and  uninterrupted  work  of  adding  to  the 
stability  of  society,  of  uniting  the  ideals  of  religion  and  patriot- 
ism, of  educating  its  members,  in  obedience  to  the  commands  of 
Christianity,  in  putting  the  eternal  verities  into  practice,  had 
raised  a  great  many  questions  as  to  its  origin,  its  principles  and 
its  methods.  Were  it  not  for  these  circumstances,  the  task  —  no 
easy  one  —  of  drawing  a  general  description  from  the  thousand 
and  one  detailed  documents  relating  to  the  Order,  might  have 
waited.  The  public,  however,  has  shown  a  very  complimentary 
interest  in  the  phenomenon  of  the  appearance  of  a  society  in  a 
tremendous  crisis  which  demanded  the  highest  qualities  and  the 
most  energetic  effort  which  could  be  required  of  any  body  of  men. 
It  was  necessary  to  extract  from  the  great  mass  of  material 
the  philosophy  of  the  movement ;  its  genesis  was  easily  explained ; 
it  arose  from  the  social  conditions  in  our  country  as  a  natural 
growth,  but  that  its  boughs  should  become  so  strong  and  shel- 
tering and  all-embracing,  was  not  foreseen  by  its  founders. 
Columbus,  when  he  set  sail  for  a  strange  unknown  land,  was 
impelled  by  spiritual  motives ;  it  was  not  to  make  Spain  wealthier 
or  more  potent,  or,  except  in  a  secondary  sense,  to  add  to  the 
scientific  knowledge  of  the  world,  but  to  carry  the  consolations 
of  Christianity  into  the  unknown.  Similarly,  the  motives  of  the 
founders  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus — we  may  almost  say  the 
founder,  the  Reverend  Michael  Joseph  McGivney  —  were,  first 
of  all,  spiritual.  They  understood  that  the  sanity  of  the  soul  is 
the  best  foundation  for  that  sanity  of  mind  and  body,  that  perfect 
balance  which  makes  a  good  citizen;  further  than  this  they  did 
not  go,  but  under  the  Providence  of  God,  they  builded  better  than 

(vl 


vi  Preface 

they  knew.  And  the  results  of  a  wisdom,  plainly  one  of  the 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  were  so  scattered,  so  hidden  in  local 
records,  and  often  so  taken  as  a  matter  of  course,  worthy  of  only 
a  casual  attention,  that  the  only  way  to  present  an  account  of 
what  has  been  really  planned  and  practised  is  to  deal  in  gener- 
alities. The  mass  of  particulars  is  so  great  that,  in  spite  of  the 
application  of  the  official  historian,  Mr.  Daniel  Colwell,  they 
could  not  be  treated  satisfactorily  in  the  space  allotted  to  these 
two  volumes  or  analyzed  within  a  moderate  period  of  time. 

The  potency  of  the  Order  has  depended  greatly  on  the  zeal  of 
individual  members,  a  zeal  none  the  less  ardent  because  it  was 
well  ordered  and  well  disciplined.  The  temptation  of  the  authors 
of  these  volumes  was  to  dwell  on  the  value  of  the  personal 
equation.  In  every  part  of  the  country,  in  each  council  there  was 
the  record  of  the  tradition  of  a  man  who  had  done  much  for 
the  Order,  and  who  had  not  only  done  this  effectively,  but 
picturesquely.  It  has  been  rather  hard,  then,  after  having  studied 
the  work  of  individuals,  sympathized  with  it,  and  been  thoroughly 
interested  in  it,  to  discover  that  these  volumes  would  have  been 
of  too  great  a  bulk  if  this  temptation  to  indulge  in  personalities 
were  not  resisted. 

If  this  applied  in  times  of  peace,  how  much  more  applicable  was 
it  in  time  of  war  ?  The  examples  of  self-f orgetf ulness,  devotion 
lO  duty,  bravery,  often  accompanied  by  those  touches  of  reckless 
adventure  which  appeal  to  all  men  in  love  with  life,  of  generosity, 
of  sacrifice  —  equalling  even  that  of  Sir  Philip  Sidney  on  the  field 
of  battle  —  were  hard  to  pass  by ;  but  time  and  tide  and  the  limits 
of  space  must  control  all  human  effort,  and  the  authors  of  this 
book  found  that  they  were  no  exception  to  the  rule  that  every 
picture  must  be  limited  by  a  frame;  hence  we  make  no  excuse, 
for  our  regrets  for  what  has  been  left  out  are  even  more  poignant 
than  tliose  of  the  reader  who  may  miss  certain  stirring  personal 
episodes. 

It  is  obvious,  or  at  least  it  was  made  obvious,  that  the  public 
that  insisted  that  this  book  should  be  written,  was  quite  satiated 
with  war  books.  It  had  become  as  tired  of  the  war  as  the 
returning  soldiers,  who  almost  lost  their  temper  and  seemed  to 
become  possessed  of  dumb  devils  when  they  were  expected  to 
answer  questions  concerning  the  dangers  they  had  met.     It  is 


Preface  vH 

obvious,  too,  that  this  being  the  case  it  was  our  business  to  accent 
the  human  interest  as  far  as  possible,  and  to  let  the  battles  roar 
dimly  in  the  background.  Besides,  the  real  heroes  in  this  fearful 
crisis  seemed  to  be  unconscious  of  any  heroism;  what  they  had 
done  in  a  way  that  seemed  to  us  splendid,  they  preferred  to  take 
as  part  of  the  day's  work ;  and  this  fact  removed  from  us  at  once 
the  possibility  of  adding  those  purple  patches  which  always 
render  a  book  attractive  to  its  authors.  The  chronicle  then,  is 
as  simple  and  direct  as  we  can  make  it;  the  great  merit  of  our 
work  seems,  in  our  opinion,  to  be  the  fact  that  it  is  truthful,  that 
it  is  not  over-laudatory,  that  it  has  nothing  extenuated  or  set 
down  in  malice ;  and  even  where  there  might  have  been  a  certain 
provocation  to  irritation  under  what  seemed  to  be  injustice  but 
was  possibly  only  misunderstanding,  the  tremendous  Event  which 
overshadowed  us  during  the  writing  of  the  last  pages  of  this 
first  volume,  forced  us  to  feel  how  small  and  trifling  all  discords 
are  compared  with  the  notes  of  that  eternal  harmony  with  which 
the  work  of  the  Knights  was  so  wholly  in  accord. 

To  return  to  the  exigent  demand  which  a  certain  part  of  the 
public  made  for  some  immediate  record  of  the  activities  of  the 
Knights  and  of  the  philosophy  of  their  history  which  made  these 
activities  possible,  we  must  beg  tolerance  for  the  absence  of  cer- 
tain information  which,  scattered  as  it  was  all  over  this  country 
and  in  Europe,  was  almost  impossible  to  obtain  at  comparatively 
short  notice.  Without  the  guidance  and  counsel  of  Supreme 
Advocate  Joseph  C.  Pelletier  it  would  have  been  impossible,  under 
the  circumstances,  to  make  the  first  volume,  at  least,  at  all  satis- 
factory. Until  one  comes  to  study  the  amazing  development  of 
the  Order,  its  unexpected  and  vital  energies,  and  the  delicacy  of 
its  position  as  a  new  force,  not  only  in  society,  but  in  the 
Church  —  without  whose  countenance,  sympathy  and  inspiration 
it  could  not  exist — one  cannot  realize  how  important  Mr.  Pelle- 
tier's  knowledge,  experience  and  tact  were  in  the  completion  of  a 
work  which  must  have  lacked  some  of  its  essential  qualities  with- 
out his  supervision. 

So  indifferent  to  public  praise  had  the  members  of  the  Order 
seemed,  that  in  many  important  cases  they  obeyed  implicitly  the 
scriptural  injunction  not  to  let  their  left  hand  know  what  their 
right  hand  had  done.    This  state  of  mind  will  be  no  doubt  credited 


viii  Preface 

to  them  in  the  annals  of  the  Recording  Angel  in  the  next  world, 
but  it  makes  it  rather  hard  for  the  historian  in  this. 

If  The  Columbiad  had  not  given  us  the  use  of  its  files,  in  which 
such  facts  as  were  supplied  to  it  were  duly  chronicled,  we  should 
have  been  entirely  at  sea  as  to  many  important  names  and  dates, 
and  we  are  happy  to  give  credit  to  that  journal  for  whatever 
accuracy  these  volumes  possess. 

Whatever  may  be  the  defects  of  these  books,  the  authors  must 
rather  ingenuously  confess  that  in  examining  what  records  they 
could  find  they  have  been  deeply  impressed  with  the  sense  that  the 
Divine  Spirit  of  Wisdom  and  Charity  has  permeated  from  the 
very  beginning  the  grow^th  of  this  Order.  The  simple  faith  of 
its  founders  had  so  molded  its  origins  that  neither  malice  nor 
bigotry  could  find  a  weak  place  in  its  economy.  But  the  profound 
knowledge  of  the  psychology  of  the  average  American  shown  in 
the  appeals  made  to  all  the  best  qualities  by  the  Order  as  it  pro- 
gressed was  amazing  to  us  when  we  had  completed  an  analysis 
of  how  the  intentions  of  its  founders  were  day  by  day,  year  by 
year,  vitalized  and  strengthened.  What  we  had  undertaken  was 
to  explain  the  objects  and  activities  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
clearly  and  directly  to  the  best  of  our  ability.  This  we  have  tried 
to  do,  using  such  records  as  we  could  discover  and  depending 
for  the  story  of  their  activities  in  the  war  on  the  testimony  of  eye- 
witnesses. If  the  reader  of  this  book  finds  himself,  at  the  end 
of  it,  as  we  did;  impressed  by  the  Divine  quality  of  the  work  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus,  seen  through  the  veil  of  humanity, 
exerted  in  the  very  ordinary  occupation  of  the  sons  of  the  soil, 
living  very  near  the  earth  of  battle,  but  with  eyes  on  heaven,  we 
shall  feel  that  we  have  not  undertaken  this  work  in  vain.  Christ 
showed  His  special  love  for  the  centurion,  and  these  Knights,  fol- 
lowing His  example,  have  evinced  their  devotion  to  the  soldier. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  centurion  asked  not  that  Our  Lord 
should  exalt  him  or  give  him  mystical  visions  or  great  posses- 
sions, or  even  save  his  soul,  but  that  He  might  heal  his  servant ; 
and  the  Knights  have  learned  well  the  lesson  which  Christ  gave 
us  in  His  relations  to  that  very  noble  and  simple  soldier  of  the 

oman     mpire.  Maurice  Francis  Egan. 

.^    ,    ^.  ,  .^^^  John  B.  Kennedy. 

New  \  ork,  February,  1920.  *^ 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  FIRST  VOLUME 


CHAPTER 

I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 
IX. 
X. 
XI. 
XII. 
XIII. 
XIV. 
XV. 
XVI. 
XVII. 
XVIII. 
XIX. 
XX. 
XXI. 
XXII. 
XXIII. 
XXIV. 
XXV. 
XXVI. 
XXVII. 
XXVIII. 
XXIX. 


PAGE 

Big   Fistf uls   of    Friendship i 

More  Fistf  uls  of   Friend.ship 24 

Origin  of  the  Order 45 

Interstate  Growth "^ 

International  Growth 74 

Constitution   and   Government 87 

Protecting  Homes 95 

The  Fourth  Degree  and  the  Bogus  Oath 1 17 

The  Permanent  Home  Movement 130 

Promoting  Higher  Education I39 

Allaying  Religious  Prejudice  15^ 

Relief  Work  in  Times  of  Peace 169 

Commemorating  Columbus 181 

Opposing  Bolshevism  ^92 

Mexican  Border  Work 201 

Decision  for  Work  in  the  War 211 

The  First  War  Fund  Campaign 222 

Rapid  Growth  of  Home  Work 233 

Entering  the  Field  Abroad 24S 

Making  Headway  in  France 258 

Work  for  the  Navy 269 

Fighting  Shepherds  and  Their  Fighting  Flocks 280 

After  the  Armistice 297 

Ending  the  War  Work 3H 

Canadian  Knights'  War  Work 34° 

The  Manly   y\rts   Exemplified 349 

Hewing  to  the  Line 3^0 

A  Word  for  the  Women 374 

Reconstruction  Work 379 

Conclusion 402 

[ix] 


CHAPTER  I 
♦*  BIG  FISTFULS  OF  FRIENDSHIP  " 

TO  the  mind  of  the  average  citizen,  remaining  at  home,  doing 
faithfully  whatever  his  war  task  might  be,  the  numerous, 
insistent  appeals  for  relief  funds  often  brought  the  query 
as  to  whether  the  men  in  whose  names  the  funds  were  requested 
—  the  fighting  men  in  the  camps  at  home  and  the  battle-zones 
overseas  —  received  the  worth  of  the  money  contributed.  The 
honesty  of  the  organizations  appealing  for  funds  was  not 
doubted,  but  amid  all  the  genuine  enthusiasm  prevalent  at  the 
height  of  the  war,  there  were  many  who  wondered  whether  the 
mere  fact  of  selling  or  distributing  free  chocolates  and  cigarettes 
and  other  light  luxuries  at  the  front  was  exactly  heroic  or  worth 
the  financial  support  found  for  it. 

But  it  would  be  an  error  to  reckon  the  value  of  war  relief  work 
in  terms  of  goods  distributed.  Professional  publicists  of  certain 
organizations  made  the  mistake  of  reciting  the  imposing  totals, 
in  avoirdupois,  of  creature  comforts  sold  to  the  men  abroad,  or 
of  stationery  and  literature  distributed  among  them.  The  Knights 
of  Columbus  were  fortunate  enough  to  avoid  this  sort  of  book- 
keeper's boasting.  As  a  matter  of  news,  their  purchases  were 
published.  No  attempt  was  made  to  derive  glory  from  sheer 
gross  quantities  of  goods.  For  the  secret  of  the  Knights'  success 
was  not  the  amount  given  to  each  service  man  through  them; 
it  was  not  even,  as  many  have  held,  that  the  Knights  gave  away 
these  creature  comforts.  Their  success  did  not  repose  in  the  gift, 
but  in  the  manner  of  the  giving.  Even  when  secretaries  had 
nothing  to  give,  when  the  exigencies  of  battle  prevented  their 
return  to  the  source  of  supply  to  replenish  their  stocks,  they  were 
cordially  welcomed  by  officers  and  men  because  their  presence 
with  the  troops  had  some  emotional  value  —  they  and  the  other 
relief  workers  were  the  visible  examples  of  the  interest  and  affec- 
tion of  the  people  at  home,  more  vivid  than  the  written  word  and 
more  graphic  even  than  photographs. 

[I] 


2  The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  names  awarded  to  some  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secre- 
taries —  "  Uncle  "  Joe  Kernan,  "  Pop  "  Bundschu,  etc.  —  speak 
volumes  for  the  human  contact  made  by  the  Knights  with  the 
men  they  went  to  serve.  These  two  words,  "  Pop  "  and  "  Uncle," 
are  typical  of  the  affection  with  which  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
secretaries  were  regarded.  "  Uncle  "  Joe  Kernan, —  he  was  over 
sixty,  by  the  way  —  with  a  load  of  creature  comforts  strapped 
to  his  back  heavier  than  the  equipment  a  young,  husky  infantry- 
man had  to  carry,  trudging  with  his  cane  over  the  shell-swept 
fields  of  France  to  some  ''outfit"  in  the  trenches;  —  "Pop" 
Bundschu,  piloting  his  Knights  of  Columbus  roller  kitchen  over 
the  shell-holed  roads,  under  the  enemy's  shrapnel,  to  some  hidden 
corner  of  a  forest  or  camouflaged  crossroads,  where  it  could  serve 
as  an  oasis  in  the  desert  of  devastation ;  —  Denis  Oates,  lifting 
his  load  of  cigarettes  and  sweets  to  the  front  lines  on  a  stretcher 
when  all  other  means  of  transportation  failed, —  these  are  some 
of  the  lasting  pictures  in  the  minds  of  the  men  served  by  the 
Knights  at  the  front.  They  supplement  and  are  part  of  those 
other  stirring  pictures  —  of  Knights  of  Columbus  chaplains  in 
No  Man's  Land,  in  the  advanced  dressing  stations,  bending  over 
wounded  and  dying  men,  or  standing  in  the  front  trenches,  with 
a  line  of  men  filing  past  in  the  moonlight,  to  be  shriven  before 
they  climbed  the  parapet  and  rushed  into  the  teeth  of  the  enemy's 
fire. 

The  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  at  the  front  was  of  the 
very  marrow  of  the  war  —  because  it  held  much  of  what  was 
best  in  the  war,  self-sacrifice  and  brotherly  love.  For  the  most 
part  the  men  sent  over  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  fatherly 
men,  at  or  beyond  middle  age,  with  grey  at  their  temples,  men 
who,  in  numerous  instances,  had  boys  of  their  own  at  the  front. 
And  men  of  this  sort  enjoyed  the  psychological  advantage  of 
knowing  what  they  would  most  like  to  do  for  their  own  boys. 
Other  secretaries,  not  beyond  the  military  age,  were  obviously 
unfitted  for  military  service.  John  Salmon  and  Charles  McD. 
Fallen  are  cases  in  point.  Secretary  Salmon  of  Lowell 
Mass.,  was  apparently  an  able-bodied  young  man  ready  to  stand 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  3 

any  hardship.  He  was  ready,  and  he  did  endure  almost  every 
kind  of  hardship  at  the  front.  But  the  doctors  had  reported  that 
his  heart  was  faulty ;  they  could  not  pass  him  for  military  service. 
He  spent  several  months  in  the  thick  of  the  fighting,  went  over 
the  top  and  rendered  valiant  service. 

Fallen,  of  New  York  City,  was  a  cripple,  having  wood  instead 
of  flesh  and  bone  under  his  left  hip.  So  well  was  Fallen  able  to 
dissemble  real  limbs  that  it  was  not  always  easy  to  recognize  in 
him  a  young  man  physically  incapacitated  for  military  service. 
Floyd  Gibbons,  the  war  correspondent,  tells  the  story  of  Fallen's 
demonstration  before  an  extemporaneous  class  of  wounded  men. 
In  the  American  hospital  at  Neuilly,  Fallen  was  making  his 
rounds  with  the  usual  cigarettes  and  other  luxuries  permitted  by 
the  doctors,  when  a  marine  who  had  lost  his  right  leg  at  Chateau- 
Thierry  showed  symptoms  of  melancholia.  He  bewailed  the  loss 
as  unfitting  him  for  future  usefulness  in  life.  Those  in  neighboring 
cots  had,  in  the  brusque  way  of  army  men,  little  sympathy  with 
him  once  his  tale  had  been  told.  They  intimated  as  much  to 
Fallen,  who  heard  the  lad's  plaints  with  brotherly  patience.  Sud- 
denly, from  where  he  was  standing  by  the  door  of  the  ward, 
Fallen  ran  down  the  aisle,  executing  a  hop,  skip  and  jump  before 
the  legless  marine.  A  laugh  arose  and  some  of  the  wounded 
men  tapped  their  heads  significantly  —  another  case  of  shell- 
shock,  they  thought. 

But  Fallen  stopped  by  the  bedside  of  the  legless  marine. 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  ever  do  that  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Quit  your  kidding,"  the  marine  retorted. 

"  Well,"  and  Fallen  took  off  his  puttee  and  let  down  his  sock  as 
he  said :  "HI  can  do  it  with  a  wooden  leg,  you  can,"  and  he 
tapped  the  wood  in  evidence.  It  had  replaced  his  natural  leg  as 
the  result  of  a  railway  accident.  The  marine  was  easily  consoled 
after  that  incident. 

There  was  another  occasion  when  Fallen's  wooden  leg  caused 
wonderment,  and  this,  to  Bishop  Brent,  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
senior  chaplain  of  the  A.  E.  F.,  who  found  himself  late  one  night 
in  Baccarat,  without  any  definite  place  to  rest.    He  was  accom- 


4  The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

panied  by  Father  Houlihan,  a  CathoHc  chaplain.  The  priest  sug- 
gested an  appeal  to  the  local  club  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 
They  found  the  club,  a  much-damaged  building,  with  sparse 
accommodations.  Taps  had  sounded  long  before.  The  club 
was  open,  but  the  secretary  in  bed.  He  was  aroused,  and  he 
responded  in  the  cordial  military  manner,  inviting  the  visitors 
to  enter  the  small  room  adjoining  the  club-room.  There  they 
found  him  curled  up  in  the  only  bed  on  the  premises. 

The  priest  introduced  Bishop  Brent,  and  the  secretary  made 
himself  known  as  Fallen.  No  sooner  had  the  priest  explained 
Bishop  Brent's  need,  than  Fallen  hopped  out  of  bed,  as  well  as  a 
man  with  one  leg  can  hop,  and  Father  Houlihan  and  Bishop 
Brent,  to  their  amazement,  saw  Fallen  fasten  on  his  wooden  leg 
and  scurry  about  the  place  to  prepare  them  a  cup  of  hot  chocolate 
before  retiring.  Bishop  Brent  slept  in  the  Knight's  bed  that 
night,  while  Fallen  and  the  priest  disposed  themselves  as  com- 
fortably as  they  could  on  chairs  and  benches.  While  at  the  front, 
Fallen,  like  the  rest  of  the  secretaries,  had  to  make  his  way  on 
foot  over  long  distances,  from  unit  to  unit,  getting  "  lifts," 
wherever  good  luck  gave  the  chance,  on  army  trucks  and  the  cars 
of  other  relief  agencies. 

One  of  the  few  serious  mistakes  the  Knights  made  was  their 
failure,  in  the  winter  of  1918,  to  buy  or  borrow  motor  cars. 
Prompt  action  in  the  spring  remedied  this  defect  to  a  large 
extent,  but  it  was  only  the  heroic  self-sacrifice  of  the  first  score 
or  more  of  secretaries  and  chaplains  overseas,  who  labored  under 
every  conceivable  handicap,  that  gave  the  Knights  a  speaking 
acquaintance  with  the  men  of  the  A.  E.  F.  Six  automobiles,  in 
those  early  days  of  the  work,  would  have  been  worth  a  hundred 
secretaries, —  but  only  from  the  point  of  view  of  covering  the 
ground.  A  France  full  of  self-operating  automobiles,  with  choco- 
late and  cigarettes  in  free  automatic  vending  machines,  could  not 
have  made  the  impression  on  a  soldier  that  one  big-hearted 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretary  achieved. 

The  courtesy  of  the  French  government  enabled  the  Knights 
to  get  men  and  material  distributed  along  the  front.     The  loan 


THE  KNIOHTS    OF  OOLllMHOS  IN  MEM3E  AMD  ^WM^ 


Why  the  Knights  earned  the  un- 

dyiHB  BfTection  of   the   A.  E.  K. 

St.  Mihiel.  AuKust,  1918 


K.  of  C.  Secretaries  saluli;  the  sUtueof  St.  Jeanned'Arc.  Paris, June,  1918 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  5 

of  a  score  of  motor-trucks,  through  Captain  Andr€  Tardieu, 
saved  the  day.  The  Knights  sent  over  vehicles  from  New  York, 
as  fast  as  they  could  be  secured  from  manufacturers  compelled  to 
o-ive  precedence  to  government  contracts.  Some  of  these 
vehicles  were  the  now  famous  Knights  of  Columbus  roller 
kitchens.  These  kitchens,  while  American  made,  had  French 
ancestry.  The  original  roller  kitchen  was  an  ancient  car  which, 
in  the  unromantic  days  before  the  war,  had  obviously  played  the 
dual  role  of  delivery  wagon  and  cliar-h-banc.  Its  age  was  implied 
by  the  fact  that  it  was  French,  for  no  car,  purchasable  at  any 
price  in  France  of  the  summer  of  1918,  could  have  been  other 
than  old.  The  Knights  secured  the  venerable  machine,  installed 
crude  iron  stoves,  and  selected  three  men  as  crew.  The  men  were 
Francis  Croston  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  Frank  A. 
Bundschu  of  Louisville,  and  Denis  Gates  of  Charleroi, 
Pennsylvania. 

Croston,  a  successful  playwright  who  had  gone  to  France  with 
the  desire  of  proving  useful  in  whatever  capacity  his  superiors 
determined,  was  instructed  to  drive  the  car.  He  knew  something 
of  operating  a  modern,  novice-proof  runabout,  perhaps  the 
extent  of  his  automechanical  knowledge.  The  lumbering  motor- 
kitchen  was  a  fascinating  novelty  to  Croston;  the  prospect  of 
driving  it  over  roads  he  knew  nothing  of  appealed  to  his  artis- 
tic taste.  He  was  a  little  uncertain  of  his  ability  to  run  the  huge 
thing,  and  a  slight  examination  had  revealed  the  fact  that  the 
brakes  could  not  be  readily  handled.  But  he  said  nothing  of  these 
things  to  Bundschu  or  Gates.  Grders  were  to  get  the  car  and 
its  contents  to  the  front  at  the  earliest  moment,  and  Croston  knew 
how  to  obey  orders. 

They  started  from  Paris  on  an  evening  late  in  June,  Croston 
taking  military  license  by  disregarding  all  the  speed  regulations. 
Through  the  soft  summer  evening  they  clattered,  breaking  the 
stillness  that  seemed  to  settle  before  the  savage  German  onrush 
that  culminated  in  the  fierce  fighting  around  Seringes.  They 
made  excellent  proo:ress,  relieving  some  of  the  stock  of  the 
kitchen-truck  by  throwing  handfuls  of  stuff  to  marching  infantry- 
men or  rumbling  artillery  units  they  passed  on  the  way.  They 
slowed  up  respectfully  as  they  drove  by  the  venerable  cathedral 


6  The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

of  Meaux.  Then,  with  increasing  speed,  they  dashed  through 
the  gathering  dusk,  Croston  marvelHng  at  his  own  immense  good 
fortune  in  being  able  to  get  forty  miles  an  hour  out  of  the  asth- 
matic engine.  It  balked  treacherously  at  a  few  lonely  cross  roads. 
More  by  prayer  than  technique  Croston  and  his  companions 
rekindled  the  car's  ambition,  and  on  it  went,  striking  the  hilly 
road  down  to  Ch§.teau-Thierry  with  eager  velocity.  Croston 
tried  his  brakes,  but  they  feebly  declined  to  work.  With  a  prayer 
on  his  lips  he  gripped  the  wheel  and  gave  the  car  its  head,  thun- 
dering into  Chateau-Thierry  like  a  latter-day  juggernaut,  with 
military  police  waving  frantically  for  him  to  check  his  speed. 
Bundschu  and  Oates,  in  all  their  trying  experiences  under  fire, 
were  never  nearer  to  death  than  on  that  reckless  dash  into 
Chateau-Thierry.  But  Croston  had  beaten  the  time  set  for  their 
arrival  at  the  front.  They  could  have  slept  at  some  billet  on  the 
road  that  night;  instead,  they  were  up  until  dawn  serving  hot 
chocolate  and  biscuits  to  marines  preparing  for  battle. 

This  kitchen  saw  more  active  service  than  any  vehicle  wearing 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  emblem  overseas.  Secretary  Bundschu 
succeeded  Croston  as  its  pilot.  He  took  it  into  the  Argonne,  and 
he  might  have  been  some  missioner  preaching  the  gospel  of 
Columbianism  from  it,  so  varied  were  its  exploits.  At  a  little 
village  within  artillery-range  of  the  front,  Bundschu  one  day 
halted  the  car,  to  get  water  to  boil  a  few  pails  of  cocoa.  Secre- 
taries Oates  and  Kernan  were  helping  him.  A  motorcycle  with  a 
sidecar  hurled  itself  down  the  road  at  them,  stopping  beside  them. 
The  occupant  of  the  sidecar  was  a  colonel.  Bundschu  gave  the 
colonel  and  his  orderly  cocoa  and  cigarettes. 

"  The  first  real  drink  I've  had  since  landing  in  France,"  said 
the  colonel,  smacking  his  lips.  He  rode  away.  A  few  nights 
later,  during  one  of  those  steady,  gloomy  rainfalls  frequent  in 
Northern  France,  Bundschu  and  his  companions  entered  another 
village.  They  were  without  shelter,  and  approached  a  respectable 
looking  house.  A  sentry  prevented  their  entry.  They  pleaded 
with  him  for  a  few  hours'  shelter  so  that  they  could  sleep  after 
working  steadily  for  forty-eight  hours.     The  sentry  explained 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  7 

that  the  place  was  regimental  headquarters ;  duty  bound,  he  was 
adamant.  They  were  about  to  leave,  dispirited,  when  a  muffled 
figure,  apparently  asleep  in  a  corner  of  the  long,  dark  room  at 
the  door  of  which  the  sentry  stood,  spoke  up  in  a  smart,  resonant 
voice : 

"  Let  those  K-C  men  come  in.    They're  my  friends." 

The  figure  was  the  colonel  who  had  sampled  their  cocoa.  Later, 
Bundschu  was  within  fifty  yards  of  him  while  he  stood  on  a  small 
knoll,  directing  his  batteries.  It  was  a  hot  mid-afternoon.  The 
colonel  lifted  his  steel  helmet  to  wipe  perspiration  from  his  fore- 
head, and  was  instantly  picked  off  by  a  German  sniper. 

On  another  occasion,  this  pioneer  kitchen-car  was  stationed  at 
a  cross-roads,  awaiting  the  return  of  an  infantry  battalion  from 
the  trenches  in  the  Toul  sector.  Bundschu  was  alone  this  time, 
and  extremely  busy.  A  young  infantry  captain  dashed  up  on  a 
motorcycle. 

"  Better  quit  this  place,  Casey,"  he  advised.  "  They'll  spot  you 
and  clean  up  the  road." 

Bundschu  followed  the  advice.  No  sooner  had  he  moved  away 
to  the  shelter  of  a  copse  than  shells  rained  on  the  spot  where  the 
kitchen  had  been  standing  —  enemy  airmen  having  observed  and 
signalled  its  position. 

The  relief  battalion  for  those  about  to  return  from  the  trenches 
came  winding  down  the  long  road.  Secretary  Bundschu  was 
puzzled.  He  had  only  sufficient  cocoa  for  one  set  of  men  to  get  a 
decent  cupful.  He  proceeded  with  his  cookery,  burning  handfuls 
of  twigs  to  keep  the  pails  of  liquid  hot.  The  relief  battalion  saw 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  sign  from  afar  and  loudly  greeted  him. 
Bundschu  waited.  As  they  ran  towards  the  kitchen  he  stepped 
from  it  to  welcome  them.  They  thronged  around  him  and  he 
summoned  his  courage  to  make  a  simple  speech. 

"  Boys,"  he  said, —  and  it  was  one  of  the  most  important  utter- 
ances made  overseas  in  the  name  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  — 
"  this  kitchen  and  the  stuff  inside  it  don't  belong  to  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.  The  whole  works  belong  to  you.  Your  folks  gave 
it  to  us  to  pass  on  to  you.    Now,  boys,  it's  yours.    It's  up  to  you 


8  Thp:  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

to  decide  what  to  do  with  it.  There's  a  battaHon  coming  out  of 
the  front  line;  you're  going  to  relieve  them.  There's  only  four 
pails  of  cocoa;  not  enough  for  both  lots  of  you.  And  you  both 
need  it  mighty  bad.    Now,  w4io'll  get  it?  " 

Instantly  a  tall,  red-headed  sergeant  spoke  up. 

"  Why,  Pop,  give  it  to  those  other  buddies."  And  the  vote  was 
unanimous. 

''  Can  we  help  you,  Pop?  "  "  Need  any  fuel?  "  "  Need  any 
water?  "    Such  questions  w^ere  show^ered  on  him. 

The  battalion  came  out  of  the  line,  and  with  them  was  the  young 
captain  w^ho  had  previously  w^arned  Bundschu  of  his  danger. 
Officers  and  men  took  their  turn  at  the  counter  cut  in  the  side  of 
the  car.  The  captain  carried  his  tin  cup  of  chocolate  and  his 
handful  of  biscuits  to  the  trunk  of  a  felled  tree.  He  sat  upon 
this  to  take  his  refreshment.  A  nineteen-year-old  doughboy  came 
to  sit  beside  him. 

*'  Don't  this  make  you  think  of  home?  "  the  doughboy  said. 

And  Bundschu  saw  the  captain  turn  away  with  wet  eyes.  On 
the  next  afternoon,  w^hile  stationed  in  the  same  place,  ambulance 
men  brought  the  young  captain  past  the  kitchen  —  decapitated  by 
a  shell. 

When  the  "  Lost  Battalion  "  of  the  Seventy-seventh  Division 
emerged  from  the  pocket  in  the  Argonne,  where  it  had  been 
besieged  for  three  days,  the  first  taste  of  human  comfort  the  men 
received  was  from  cocoa  made  in  the  venerable  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus motor-kitchen.  Bundschu  and  his  assistants  had  been  advised 
of  the  battalion's  predicament.  They  had  gone  forward  imme- 
diately to  render  aid.  Hot  chocolate,  cakes  and  cigarettes  cheered 
the  weary  men.  Louis  LeSage  of  Los  Angeles,  Bundschu,  Ker- 
nan  and  Oates  put  the  cups  to  mouths  that  had  only  one  lip  left, 
and  lighted  cigarettes  for  men  who  had  no  fingers  to  light  their 
own. 

This  kitchen  witnessed  tragedy  the  most  pathetic.  In  the  St. 
Mihiel  sector  Bundschu  again  operated  it.  He  remembers  a 
young  lad  named  Jackson,  hailing  from  New  York  City.  The  boy 
had  received  cocoa  and  biscuits  and  cigarettes.    He  w^as  evidently 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  9 

a  shy  young  fellow.  Slyly,  he  drew  a  postcard  from  his  tunic  and 
showed  it  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary.  Bundschu 
admired  a  girl-mother  and  her  baby. 

"  Don't  they  look  good?  "  said  Jackson. 

"  That's  the  prettiest  baby  I've  ever  seen,"  said  Bundschu. 

The  boy  furtively  kissed  the  picture,  and  walked  away.  He 
was  no  more  than  fifty  feet  from  the  kitchen  when  a  shell  struck 
him.    Even  the  picture  was  destroyed  beyond  recognition. 

Other  roller-kitchens  bearing  the  Knights  of  Columbus  shield 
followed  the  pioneers  into  the  fighting  line,  on  to  the  end  of  hostili- 
ties. All  were  manned  by  brave  men  and  true;  but  none  lived 
through  a  greater  epic  than  the  men  of  this  first  Knights  of 
Columbus  car.  It  is  reported,  and  readily  credited,  that  when 
during  the  St.  Mihiel  drive,  German  prisoners  came  within  sight 
of  its  bitten-off  chimney  smoking  industriously  with  the  prepa- 
ration of  hot  bouillon,  they  shrank  in  terror  from  it,  and  muttered 
among  themselves  that  an  American  atrocity  was  about  to  be 
perpetrated  on  defenseless  prisoners.  Boiling  oil,  perhaps,  was 
what  they  feared.  But  their  captors  quickly  disillusioned  them 
by  generously  sharing  with  them  the  copious  refreshment. 

No  urge  for  the  sensational  prompted  Secretary  Martin  V. 
Merhle  of  San  Francisco  to  resort,  at  one  crisis,  to  an  aeroplane 
for  the  delivery  of  Knights  of  Columbus  comforts  to  men  in  the 
front  line.  This  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  when  the  astounding 
news  was  cabled  back  to  America  it  was  held  up  in  the  New  York 
office  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  until  verified.  A  regiment  of 
infantry  had  been  kept  in  the  front  line  for  several  days,  on  iron 
rations.  No  war  relief  workers  were  permitted  to  go  to  them; 
the  danger  of  divulging  information  to  the  enemy  was  too  great. 
Merhle  conceived  the  idea  of  flying  over  the  American  fighting 
line  and  scattering  cigarettes  and  gumdrops  from  the  clouds.  A 
Yankee  airman  became  enthusiastic  over  the  bold  suggestion. 
The  trip  was  made,  three  hundred  pounds  of  material  being 
dropped  into  the  American  trenches,  or  as  near  to  them  as  the 


10       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

fliers  could  judge.  At  first  —  and  W.  H.  Gaw  of  Clinton,  Mass. 
of  the  Twenty-sixth  Division  stated  this  on  his  return  home  — 
the  men  did  not  touch  the  little  packages  of  cigarettes  and  gum- 
drops  ;  they  had  been  warned  to  handle  nothing,  however  innocent 
its  appearance,  dropped  from  the  air,  enemy  treachery  being 
feared.  One  of  the  men  made  out  the  initials  K-C  on  a  package, 
and  he  risked  a  chance.  The  reputation  of  the  Knights  was 
instantly  established  with  that  Division. 

Difficulties  of  transportation  were  overcome  in  other  ways  — 
indeed,  almost  by  every  conceivable  trick  the  Knights  got  their 
goods  to  the  men  who  needed  them.  F.  W,  Milan  of  Minneapolis 
was,  for  some  time,  in  charge  of  transportation,  later  going  to 
Germany  as  head  secretary  for  the  Third  Army.  Charles  Riler 
of  Waterbury,  Connecticut,  succeeded  him.  But  by  even  the  most 
skilful  management  of  their  transportation  resources  the  Knights 
were  unable  to  reach  many  of  the  scattered  units  throughout 
France.  One  reason  was  the  system  of  petty  larceny  in  operation 
among  certain  Parisian  employees  at  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
warehouse.  Secretary  C.  W.  Cameron,  of  Hyde  Park,  Mass- 
achusetts, in  charge  of  the  warehouse,  discovered  that  cars  driven 
by  French  chauffeurs  had  a  regrettable  habit  of  breaking  down 
before  small  tobacco  and  candy  stores,  various  packages  being 
missed  when  the  cars  at  length  resumed  their  journey. 

Petty  robberies  were  also  committed  in  the  warehouse.  One 
night  he  practiced  a  ruse.  Hiding  himself  behind  tempting  cigar- 
ette and  candy  packages  on  a  wide  shelf  in  the  warehouse.,  he 
amazed  certain  gentlemen  removing  the  packages  without  author- 
ity, by  sliding  out  of  his  cache  and  surprising  them  with  their  loot. 
The  men  were  rounded  up  and  searched.  It  was  discovered  that 
each  one  of  them  had  increased  in  girth  with  extraordinary  rapid- 
ity—  packages  of  cigarettes  and  chocolates  being  neatly  hidden 
inside  their  clothes  and  bound  by  their  belts.  One  of  them  con- 
fessed to  a  hand  in  purloining  goods  from  Knights  of  Columbus 
cars. 

But  Paris  was  not  the  only  place  where  petty  robberies  were 
attempted.     The  Knights  were  constrained  to  place  a  secretary 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  11 

with  large  freight  shipments  —  when  the  space  for  these  could 
be  secured  on  the  overcrowded  French  railways  —  to  see  that 
goods  arrived  intact  at  their  destination.  These  very  simple  stores 
were  great  luxuries  in  a  country  v/hich  had  become  denuded  of 
even  the  necessaries  of  life  during  the  war.  Nobody  can  realize, 
who  was  not  in  Europe  during  the  latter  days  of  the  war,  how 
precious  even  an  ounce  of  sugar  or  a  stick  of  chocolate  became ; 
and  as  for  soap,  German  sentinels  on  the  frontier,  who  were 
impervious  to  all  other  bribes,  melted  at  the  offer  of  any  kind  of 
fat,  even  though  it  was  the  coarsest  kind  of  soap. 

When  every  means  of  transportation  was  so  tied  up  with  actual 
war  material  that  it  was  impossible  to  make  rapid  deliveries,  offi- 
cers of  different  ''  outfits  "  would  visit  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
warehouse  in  Paris  and  check  cases  and  boxes  of  goods  as  their 
personal  baggage.  One  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary  also  made 
the  ingenious  suggestion  that  men  guilty  of  being  absent  without 
official  leave  in  Paris  be  given  the  task  of  carrying  large  quanti- 
ties of  creature  comforts  back  to  their  "  outfits  "  when  they 
returned  for  court-martial.  Their  officers  were  delighted  to  have 
them  do  this,  and  the  men  did  not  object,  for  they  thought  the 
joy  they  conveyed  in  Knights  of  Columbus  packages  to  their  com- 
rades could  not  but  have  a  psychological  effect  favorable  to  them 
on  their  officers.  An  objection  was  registered  against  it  by  a 
soldier  who  had  been  bragging  to  fellow-culprits  about  the 
extraordinarily  good  time  he  had  enjoyed  while  a.w.o.l.  He  was 
one  of  a  team  of  five  men,  each  heavily  laden.  He  protested  vigor- 
ously that  he  had  not  come  to  France  to  be  turned  into  a  pack- 
horse  by  a  wave  of  the  magic  wand  of  a  Knights  of  Columbus 
fairy  godfather. 

"  Quit  yer  kickin',"  said  a  buddy.  "  You've  had  a  good  time 
playin'  a.w.o.l.  Some  other  poor  birds  have  had  to  stay  in  camp 
while  we  took  French  leave.  For  the  love  of  Mike,  don't  growl 
because  you're  asked  to  take  them  some  smokes  and  eats." 

H,  on  occasion,  the  Knights  were  in  grave  danger  of  having 
goods  stolen  from  their  trucks,  there  was  at  least  one  occasion 
when  they  nearly  had  their  trucks  stolen  also.    It  was  in  a  village 


12       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

in  the  St.  Mihiel  sector  that  Secretary  Edward  Ryan  of  Provi- 
dence drove  the  first  of  a  pair  of  Knights  of  Columbus  trucks 
with  suppHes  for  the  front  Hne.  Ryan  was  afterwards  wounded 
by  shrapnel  on  that  trip.  He  observed  a  young-  woman  standing 
by  the  threshold  of  an  unscathed  house,  the  latter  being  a  rarity 
in  the  much  bombarded  village.  By  some  instinct  he  knew  that 
she  was  keeping  tally  on  the  trucks  passing  through  the  place. 
He  communicated  his  suspicion  to  an  intelligence  officer.  The 
woman  was  interrogated  and  surprised  into  admitting  her  guilt. 
She  was  an  enemy  spy.  Ryan,  by  prompt  action,  had  not  only 
saved  the  Knights  of  Columbus  trucks  from  destruction  or 
capture,  but,  no  doubt,  prevented  hundreds  of  lives  from  being- 
lost. 

The  secretary  front-bound  was  always  profoundly  grateful  for 
whatever  necessities  of  life  he  could  procure  for  himself.  He  had 
to  sleep  anywhere,  any  time  he  could,  and  when  occasion  arose, 
share  his  shelter  and  food  and  even  his  clothing  with  fighting  men 
whose  need  equalled  or  exceeded  his  own. 

Secretary  John  Stewart  of  New  York  records  that  during  one 
hustling  period  he  did  not  remove  his  shoes  for  ten  days  when  the 
Thirty-second  Division  was  in  the  Foret  de  Friche.  The  record 
for  this  sort  of  personal  sacrifice  is  probably  held  by  the  secretary 
who  could  not,  through  constant  activity  in  dangerous  environ- 
ment, remove  his  clothing  once  during  an  entire  month  at  the 
front.  Secretary  Edward  M.  Leonard  of  San  Francisco  was 
denied  the  luxury  of  sleeping  in  a  bed  from  September  17th  to 
October  12th,  and  he  was  not  the  only  Knight  who  found  accom- 
modations in  odd  corners  of  ruined  buildings,  with  always  the 
prospect  of  broken  bones  or  death  itself  in  the  event  of  a  shell 
striking  the  place. 

The  secretary  was  forced  to  exercise  initiative  in  every  detail 
of  his  own  livelihood  and  his  service  for  the  soldiers.  He  must 
always  comb  the  country  for  facilities  for  the  most  primitive 
creature  care  and  for  religious  necessities  —  a  convent  or  a  vil- 
lage curd  could  usually  be  found  for  Mass  when  army  chaplains 
were  occupied  elsewhere.     Leonard  describes  the  method  obtain- 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  13 

ing  for  securing  so  elemental  a  luxury  as  a  bath  when  cold  and 
muddy  streams  forbade  natural  immersion.  "  We  secured  big 
rain  tubs,"  he  states,  **  and  broke  up  doors  and  packing  cases  to 
make  fire  to  heat  the  water." 

Versatility  was  quite  as  necessary  for  secretarial  success  as 
initiative,  and  the  gift  for  discovering  versatility  in  soldiers,  in 
inducing  the  men  to  entertain  themselves,  was,  perhaps,  the 
highest  secretarial  virtue.  Secretary  John  Salmon  achieved  a 
reputation  with  the  Eighty-ninth  Division  for  his  acumen  in 
selecting  men  from  the  ranks  of  different  companies  and  combin- 
ing them  into  troops  of  entertainers  during  the  rest  periods 
behind  the  lines. 

At  Flirey,  on  one  occasion  following  a  vicious  little  engage- 
ment with  enemy  outposts,  Salmon  saw  eighteen  men  out  of  a 
group  of  thirty-six  go  to  their  death  in  a  sudden  enemy  barrage. 

"  No  prisoners  were  taken  on  either  side,"  he  reports.  "  The 
men  were  too  excited  with  the  swiftness  of  action.  The  dead  were 
piled  up  like  cordwood.  I  found  one  poor  fellow  by  the  name  of 
Melton  in  a  serious  condition,  bleeding  profusely  from  a  wound 
in  his  side.  I  sent  two  men  in  search  of  a  litter  while  I  tried  to 
stop  the  bleeding,  but  they  were  gone  so  long  that  I  was  afraid 
Melton  would  die  before  they  returned.  A  soldier  assisted  me 
and  we  tried  to  carry  him,  but  the  man  bled  so  badly  that  we  had 
to  give  it  up.  I  ran  into  some  neighboring  woods  after  help.  I  ran 
across  some  poilus  and  they  directed  me  to  a  French  canteen. 
There  I  bought  three  bottles  of  champagne  for  thirty  francs  and 
begged  a  blanket.  The  champagne  restored  the  wounded  man. 
Going  back  to  the  lines  was  a  proud  moment  for  me.  When 
the  boys  saw  us  bearing  the  litter  they  gave  us  three  rousing 
cheers  which  must  have  reached  the  enemy  lines." 

Salmon  was  a  pioneer  in  the  work  of  aiding  to  bury  the  dead, 
and,  like  many  other  Knights  of  Columbus,  he  saw  that  a  chaplain 
was  secured  to  say  Mass  over  the  fallen  men  and  that  they  were 
buried  with  what  military  honors  could  be  given.     He  and  Sec- 


14       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

retaries  William  Murray  and  Hugh  Moore  buried  hundreds  of 
dead  Americans  and  even  Germans  while  with  the  Fifty-seventh 
Coast  Artillery  at  Gesnes. 

He  was  one  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  who  encountered  Ger- 
man propaganda  at  first  hand.  The  enemy  made  attempts  to 
influence  the  Spanish  by  spreading  the  report  that  German  Cath- 
olics were  denied  the  exercise  of  their  religion  when  captured  by 
Americans.  Salmon  saw  to  it  that  a  photograph  was  made  of 
German  Catholic  prisoners  attending  Mass  said  by  an  American 
chaplain.    The  photograph  was  circulated  all  over  Spain. 

Versatility  is  also  illustrated  by  the  experience  of  Secretary 
Daniel  P.  Hurley  of  Omaha,  an  artist,  who,  while  with  the  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Regiment  at  Arneke,  near  Dunkirk,  in 
Belgium,  organized  a  concert  of  sacred  music  at  which  a  native 
girl  played  the  organ,  while  he  played  the  flute. 

Secretary  William  P.  Mulville  of  Greenwich,  Conn.,  declares 
the  most  typical  army  entertainment  to  have  been  one  in  a  ruined 
French  village,  when  boys  from  difl^erent  states  did  different 
*'  stunts,"  that  voted  best  being  a  rendition  of  "  Turkey  in  the 
Straw  "  by  a  red-headed  lad  from  Missouri.  "  It  was  amazing," 
he  comments,  "  to  see  the  French  people  living  on  nothing  but 
bread  and  wine  and  cider.  There  was  no  crime  in  their  little 
towns,  and  there  were  no  police.  All  disputes  seemed  to  be 
referred  to  the  maire  and  the  cure.  Law  was  law  with  them: 
they  didn't  understand  it;  they  didn't  break  it." 

Secretary  Edwin  L.  Walker,  in  the  field  for  several  months,  has 
given  a  striking  pen  picture  of  the  French  Catholics  met  by  these 
American  Catholic  war  relief  workers.    It  is  a  typical  picture : 

I  am  seated  [he  wrote  in  the  autumn  of  1918,  just  before  the  signing 
of  the  armistice]  in  a  rickety  chair  in  front  of  our  Headquarters  —  an  old 
school  house  in  the  war-swept  village  of  Vezelay. 

Across  the  way  orv  one  corner  is  a  scarred  and  ruined  church ;  massive 
stones,  which  the  enemy  shells  have  dislocated,  are  tottering.  They  seem 
anxious  to  slide  back  to  earth  and  find  a  resting  place. 

On  the  other  corner,  where  once  was  a  house  and  humanity,  now  groans 
a  flattened  mass  of  stone,  mortar  and  unshapely  wood. 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  15 

The  fourth  corner  bears  upon  its  head  the  grinning  outhnes  of  a  bombed 
and  beaten  building  —  now  cringing  limply  in  the  sweltering  sun. 

Trudging  up  the  dry  and  whitened  road  is  a  black,  bent  and  burdened 
creature.  The  bulging  basket  seems  too  heavy  for  her  slender  arms  —  the 
wide  flare  of  her  badge-of-mourning  skirt  seems  too  heavy  for  her  unsteady 
legs  —  in  all,  she  seems  too  heavy  to  be  a  creature  of  movement  —  her  place 
is  with  the  heavy,  motionless  stones  by  the  wayside. 

Yet  on  she  creeps. 

Arriving  in  front  of  the  church,  a  slight  shrinking  of  her  body  tells 
me  a  genuflection  is  intended. 

Poor  little  soul,  do  you  not  know  your  God  is  no  longer  there?  Do 
you  not  know^  they  have  driven  Him  away?"  Step  in,  crushed  creature  and 
see  the  devastation  War  has  brought. 

Your  sacred  altar  a  resting  place  for  the  flying  crow  —  your  pulpit  a 
receptacle  for  the  filth  the  fleeing  Hun  has  left.  The  vestments  which  once 
you  loved  and  admired  as  they  adorned  the  little  priest  you  also  once 
loved  and  admired —  (and  which  probably  your  own  hands  have  helped  to 
make)  —  are  torn,  scattered  upon  the  ground  and  trampkd  under  foot. 
A  muddy,  holy  covering  for  a  still  muddier,  'holier  floor. 

Your  church  is  broken  —  your  God  has  flown  —  your  genuflection  is  in 
vain  for  it  is  made  to  the  sneering  Spirit  of  War. 

And  yet !  —  It  is  better  that  the  mantle  of  ignorance  enfolds  you  —  better 
that  Faith  still  places  that  aching  smile  of  pious  peace  for  a  fleeting  second 
on  your  tired  face. 

From  her  church  she  glances  over  to  the  fourth  corner.  Her  body 
shrinks.  She  stops.  The  heavy  basket  wavers  upon  her  unsteady  arms. 
Then  she  grabs  together  her  worn  forces  and  almost  runs  toward  that 
mocking  pile  of  crumbled  stones.  It  must  be  —  yes,  it  is  —  that  nameless 
haven  of  peace  to  all  —  Home. 

Ah  God !  what  a  sacrilege ! —  what  iron}- !  v/hat  stagnation !  when  civili- 
zation can  be  so  thinly  civilized ! 

She  creeps  over  the  sharp  stones  and  numbly  stands  amidst  her 
desolation. 

But  half  a  house  remains.  The  falling  second  floor  reveals  a  tottered 
side-board  sliding  inch  by  inch,  as  each  new  shell  from  the  battlefield  so 
close,  shakes  and  rocks  the  still  remaining  shattered  walls. 

No  picture —  no  scrap  of  rug  —  no  home-like  thing  remains.  Stone 
and  mortar  heaped  in  piles  —  as  stinging  memories  oft  are  heaped' — and 
just  as  cold.  The  twisted  beams  and  rafters  overhead  are  silhouetted 
against  the  scorching  sun  like  the  huge  skeleton  of  some  prehistoric  beast. 

A  few  tiles  clinging  here  and  there  are  as  hunks  of  rotten  meat  which 
the  vultures  of  War  have  left  uneaten.  A  skeleton  in  its  loathsome  like- 
ness, rightly  placed. 


16       Tiir.  KxiciiTS  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  little  black  mass  turns  and  1  sec  her  face.  1  sec  the  lines  of  middle 
life  —  the  expression  of  the  peasant  class  —  strong  and  comel} . 

I  see  a  face  that  is  strangely  passive  —  almost  blank. 

It  tells  me  nothing. 

This  woman  could  grasp  the  love  of  a  Josephine  or  the  poverty  of  a 
Cave  Woman  and  neither  joy  nor  sorrow  could  find  an  outlet  on  a  face 
so  still. 

In  all  my  life,  never  have  T  seen  a  face  so  silent. 

What  manner  of  woman  —  bereft  of  sentiment  is  this?    Maid  —  mother, 

—  wife  —  widow  —  what  ? 

She  slowly  moves.  An  arm  falls  hmply  to  her  side.  A  hand  fumbles 
the  folds  of  her  dust  covered  skirt  —  and  emerges.  A  handkerchief  is 
crumpled  in  her  palm. 

I  see  her  body  shake  —  her  head  jerks  quickly  back  —  her  shoulders 
lift !    The  pent-up  flood  is  loose. 

Ah.  thank  God,  at  last  the  tears  have  come.  The  pain  that  froze  her 
heart  has  leaped  to  life  —  the  agony  that  froze  her  face  has  burst  into  a 
flame  —  and  the  poor  crushed  thing  stands  pitifully  crying  amidst  her 
new-born  fears  and  broken  hopes. 

Tears  of  fire  —  red  as  the  scarlet  poppies  of  her  native  fields. 

She  presses  the  handkerchief  to  her  burning  eyes.  Her  trembling 
body  sways  to  the  rhythmic  throb  of  her  grief. 

Now   I  know. 

The  face  that  told  me  naught  —  that  silent  face  told  me  all. 

I  have  seen  a  heart  take  its  last  gasp  before  breaking. 

I  have  seen  a  great  sorrow,  and  I  have  seen  a  Soul  —  a  pinched  and 
hungry  soul  —  waver  between  Heaven  and  Hell. 

The  body  sways  like  a  heavy  pendulum  and  says  —  "It  is  gone  —  it 
is  gone  —  it  is  gone" — just  as  every  leaden  step  on  its  home-coming  along 
that  dust-choked,  burning  road  must  have  shrieked  out :     'T  hope  it's  there 

—  I  hope  it's  there !" 

Poor  little  black  mass  —  how  I  would  like  to  take  you  in  my  arms  and 
weep  with  you-— how  I  would  like  to  say  a  comforting  word.  Yet  it 
would  be  useless,  for  you  would  not  understand  and  I  would  be  a  hypocrite 

—  for  there   IS  no  comforting  word. 

Still  I  sit  and  write  —  watching  in  sacred  awe  the  greatness  of  a  heart 
that  can  suffer  so  greatly. 

She  is  standing  and  sobbing.  A  black  streak  of  human  wreckage  rising 
from  the  white  wreckage  of  her  warswept  home. 

And  what  are  vour  thoughts  amidst  those  ruins,  little  Woman  of  the 
Soil? 

Is  it  son  or  husband? 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  17 

Is  it  the  complete  emptiness  of  it  all  —  or  is  it  just  an  aching  pain  too 
numb  and   too   dumb   to   possess  the   intelligence   of   thought? 

Whatever  your  thoughts,  I  bow  in  humility  to  the  awfulness  of  your 
desolation. 

She  turns  facing  the  church.  Her  eyes  set — her  body  rigid  —  she 
makes  the  sign  of  the  cross,  folds  her  arms  over  her  breast  —  bows  her 
head  —  and  loses  herself  in  prayer. 

My  God  ! —  what  strength  of  faith  —  what  bigness  of  soul !  Forgotten 
by  God  —  devastated  by  God  —  left  helpless  by  God — driven  homeless  by 
God  —  yet  turning  to  God  for  comfort  and  consolation. 

My  own  soul  shrinks  —  I  am  afraid.     This  is  something  new  to  me. 

Her  prayer  is  ended.  She  lifts  her  head.  It  is  a  new  face  I  see.  There 
is  still  the  pain  —  but  it  is  pain  being  led,  not  leading. 

Slowly  she  stoops  and  picks  up  her  basket  —  turns  and  with  one  sweep- 
ing glance  looks  from  roof  to  ground  —  then  heavily  picks  her  way  across 
the  sharp  stones  and  crumbling  mortar  and  tumbles  to  the  road. 

She  passes  close  by  me  —  murmurs  a  cheery  "  Bonjour  Monsieur",  and 
turns  her  step  to  the  west. 

I  cannot  answer.  A  lump  comes  into  my  throat  —  a  dumb  pity  into 
my  heart  —  and  I  am  dazed  into  a  sickening  silence. 

Clack-clack !  Clack-clack !  comes  the  sound  from  her  heavy  feet  — 
each  one  fainter  —  each  one  slower — indistinct. 

I  want  to  cry  out:  "  Come  back  —  come  back  —  your  sorrow  is  greater 
than  you  can  bear  —  let  me  help  you."    But  it  is  too  late. 

The  noise  of  crawling  feet  has  ceased  —  the  black  column  of  mourning 
has  passed  out  into  the  world  to  take  up  life  anew. 

The  episode  of  a  lone  woman  returning  home  where  War  has  walked, 
has  written  itself  in  my  book  of  memories  and  only  a  memory  remains. 

Yet  that  woman.    The  Refugee! 

I'd  like  to  know. 

Has  the  the  little  Church  at  Vezelay  instilled  a  faith  strong  enough  to  last 
until  the  healing  of  the  wound  hasi  led  her  on  to  Heaven,  or  has  her 
pinched  and  hungry'  Soul  found  an  easier  road  leading  on  to  Hell  ? 

Little  Woman  —  black  in  the  sombre  of  mourning  garb !  —  Little  Soul 
—  white  in  the  glow  of  suffering's  fire !  —  May  the  silent  plea  I've  made 
to  God  He  like  a  Benediction  upon  your  head  until  that  last  great  day  when 
the  Master  will  return  to  you  an  hundredfold  all  which  He  to-day  has  taken 
away. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  had  so  many  things  to  fight  in  their 
work  at  the  front  —  soldiers'  ennui,  personal  discomfort  and  the 
rest  —  that  the  addition  of  rats  as  an  enemv  to  comfort  was  most 


18       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

disconcerting.  Secretary  Martin  J.  Smith  of  Herkimer,  N.  Y., 
who  astonished  the  stolid  French  population  of  Ste.  M^nehould 
by  opening  a  hut  in  their  court  house,  states  that  the  secretaries' 
sleeping  quarters  were  in  the  cellar  of  the  ancient  building.  The 
Knights  thought,  in  selecting  this,  that  they  would  be  safe  from 
bombs ;  but  the  rats  were  so  bold  —  stalking  over  the  cots  at 
night,  walking  through  the  club,  and  viciously  evincing  displeas- 
ure when  disturbed  —  that  they  were  forced  to  abandon  the  cellar, 
risking  the  bombs  to  avoid  the  horror  of  the  rats.  Some  of  the 
rats  actually  demolished  a  large  section  of  Smith's  blanket  during 
one  night. 

The  secretaries  had  good  sense  to  realize  that  this  cheerful 
acceptance  of  the  same  conditions  under  which  the  fighting  men 
lived  aided  them  to  render  better  service  to  the  fighters,  and  cer- 
tainly, as  one  newspaper-man  expressed  it,  "  put  them  in  solid  " 
with  the  doughboys. 

It  is  a  most  surprising  fact,  in  the  face  of  the  long  record,  from 
point  of  time,  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  the  front  line 
trenches,  that  only  a  handful  of  them  should  have  sufifered  cas- 
ualties from  shrapnel,  bombs  or  gas.  Often  their  escapes  from 
death  and  wounds  were  simply  miraculous.  Secretary  Edward 
R.  Rigney  of  Rochester,  records  how  Secretary  Maurice  O'Mal- 
ley  of  Chicago,  while  serving  at  Le  Collet,  saw  a  despatch  bearer 
on  a  motorcycle  swerve  suddenly  round  a  bend  in  a  road,  to  be 
thrown  down  a  ravine  by  the  explosion  of  an  enemy  shell.  The 
gas  alert  had  just  been  sounded,  and  the  waves  of  gas  com- 
menced running  over  the  valley  below.  O'Malley,  who  had  no 
gas  mask,  dashed  down  the  ravine  and  helped  the  stunned  dis- 
patch rider  to  safety  before  he  sought  safety  himself. 

Such  quiet  deeds  of  heroism  rapidly  earned  a  reputation  for 
the  Knights  among  the  enlisted  men  of  all  branches  of  the  service. 
The  Knights  frankly  designed  their  service,  primarily,  for  all 
enlisted  men.  And  this  fact  seemed  to  increase  the  respect  the 
officers  had  for  the  Knights.  Numerous  officers,  through  religious 
or  other  brand  of  prejudice,  had  often  displayed  antipathy 
toward  the  Knights  and  towards  Catholics  in  general;  but  the 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  19 

unmistakable  evidence  of  good,  substantial  work  rendered  by  the 
Catholic  organization  for  the  men  of  all  creeds  gradually  offset 
this  prejudice.  An  officer  from  the  mid-west  records  how  his 
colonel,  advised  that  on  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  had  arranged  for  a  Mass  to  be  attended  by  the 
Catholic  men  of  his  regiment,  saw  to  it  that  the  regiment  was 
assigned  to  police  duty  on  the  morning  of  the  feast  day.  The 
Mass  was  attended  largely  by  non-Catholic  boys  of  other 
regiments. 

Towards  the  end  of  hostilities,  however,  officers  looked  more 
and  more  to  the  Knights  for  their  own  recreation  as  well  as  for 
that  of  their  men.  Secretary  Joseph  L.  Greeley  of  Kansas  City, 
reports  how  on  one  occasion  officers  at  the  training  camp  at 
Langres  begged  for  the  use  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  hut  for 
a  half  a  day,  turning  it  into  the  headquarters  of  a  miniature  cam- 
paign. The  general  in  charge  of  the  camp  wanted  to  pay  for  the 
accommodation;  but  the  secretary  pointed  to  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  slogan  on  the  wall — "Everybody  Welcome;  Every- 
thing Free."  "  Well,  it's  the  first  time  I've  had  something  for 
nothing,"  said  the  general.  "  If  ever  you  K.  of  C.  men  want 
anything  that  I  can  give  you,  ask  and  I'll  see  you  get  it." 

It  w^asn't  "  free  stuff  "  only  that  the  boys  sought  at  this  or 
other  Knights  of  Columbus  huts.  "  Non-Catholic  boys,"  says 
Secretary  Greeley,  ''  would  come  in  and  ask  me  how  they  could 
become  Catholics.  '  I've  seen  how  Catholic  boys  act  at  the  front,' 
would  be  the  usual  explanation." 

Many  thousands  of  the  rosaries  and  scapulars  sent  overseas 
by  the  Knights  found  their  way  into  the  hands  of  non-Catholics, 
many  Jewish  boys  treasuring  them.  Perhaps  there  was  some- 
thing of  superstition  in  the  requests  for  these  articles  made  by 
non-Catholic  lads;  as  a  rule  they  frankly  admitted  that  they 
desired  them  for  "  souvenirs  "  and  "  charms  " ;  but  on  the  whole, 
the  desire  was  prompted  by  an  ignorant  but  healthy  faith  inspired 
by  the  devotion  which  the  Catholic  lads  exhibited  at  the  front 
where  there  was  no  privacy  for  prayer  or  meditation.  Greeley 
tells  the  tale  of  a  "  hard-boiled  atheist "  who  was  accustomed 


20       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

to  mock  the  faith  of  the  practising  Christians  of  his  outfit,  and 
swear  that  there  was  no  God.  He  was  eventually  found  in  a 
shell-hole  on  his  knees  praying  with  a  vehemence  that  in  some 
measure  compensated  for  the  time  he  had  lost  in  atheistic  bombast. 

"  Get  up  to  the  front  —  that's  where  we're  needed  most,"  said 
■'  Uncle  Joe  "  Kernan  when  he  returned  to  Paris  in  the  late  Spring 
of  1918  to  make  his  first  report  after  three  months'  service  on 
the  firing  line.  He  lived  up  to  the  slogan,  although,  of  course, 
not  everybody  could  do  so,  for  there  was  important  work  to  be 
done  behind  the  lines.  But  "  Uncle  Joe  "  and  the  other  redoubt- 
able Knights  of  Columbus  pioneers  at  the  front  made  history 
there  for  the  Order.  It  was  not  so  much  that  they  set  an  example, 
for  each  man  in  the  breathless  horror  of  those  days  was  law  unto 
himself.  To  be  with  a  battalion  in  action  was  to  be  practically 
stranded  —  to  be  far  away  from  other  units  of  the  relief  organi- 
zation to  which  one  was  attached  —  perhaps  to  be  playing  the 
role  of  a  solitary  Samaritan. 

Wherever  possible,  the  secretaries  worked  in  teams  of  two  and 
three ;  but  there  was  so  much  to  be  done,  and  so  few  men  to  do  it 
in  those  months  of  hustle,  that  often  one  man  was  called  upon  to 
tender  Knights  of  Columbus  service  to  an  entire  division,  while 
his  co-worker  was  sent  to  the  rear  to  replenish  stocks. 

Just  how  these  men  worked  is  well  illustrated  by  a  story  told 
of  Overseas  Commissioner  Edward  L.  Hearn,  who  heard  the 
plaint  of  a  new  secretary  one  night.  The  poor  fellow  was  dread- 
fully overworked  and  he  wanted  to  know  when  he  could  close  his 
hut.  which  was  located  in  a  busy  patch  of  the  Toul  sector,  for 
an  hour  or  two  at  night-time. 

"  How  long  do  the  boys  stay  here  when  they  come^  "  Hearn 
asked. 

"  Every  minute  of  the  twenty-four  hours  if  the  place  is  open," 
said  the  secretary. 

"  Then  those  are  the  official  hours  of  this  hut,''  said  Hearn, 
adding  in  his  brisk,  business-like  way:  "  If  the  secretary  can't 
stand  the  hours  we'll  change  the  secretary  but  not  the  hours." 

The  secretary  took  the  hint  and  he  worked  after  that  twenty- 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  21 

three  hours  in  twenty-four  more  often  than  he  could  keep  count. 
These  war  relief  centers,  euphemistically  termed  "  huts,"  were 
havens  of  comfort  for  the  fig^hting-  men  who  were  always  eager 
to  escape  from  their  rigorous  billets  for  companionship  around 
the  fireside  of  a  Knights  of  Columbus  club.  Up  in  the  battle- 
zone  villages  these  huts  were  often  sturdy  dwellings  that  had 
withstood  shrapnel  fire  and  escaped  high  explosives.  They  would 
be  constituted  of  two  or  three  small  rooms,  with  stone  walls 
and  wooden  benches  and  tables  —  a  high-class  American  talking 
machine,  player-piano  or  pool-table,  or  all  three  when  space 
permitted,  showing  off  in  rather  pathetic  contrast  against  the 
hard,  grey  walls,  bare  but  for  the  little  tilted  crucifix  or  the 
statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

The  secretaries  would  pack  their  stores  wherever  they  could. 
Usually  the  system  would  provide  that  these  huts  be  depots  of 
supplies.  All  told,  the  Knights  had  250  huts  all  over  France, 
Great  Britain,  Belgium.  Germany  and  Italy  —  ranging  from 
the  dilapidated  French  village  peasant-home  to  the  palatial  resi- 
dences of  the  Rhineland  converted  into  clubs. 

Secretary  William  M.  Cavanagh,  of  Springfield.  Ohio,  has 
described  th,e  customary  greeting  which  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
men  met  when  they  ventured  into  the  street  outside  their  huts: 
"  Hello,  Casey,"  the  boys  called,  ''  have  you  got  any  chocolates 
and  doughnuts?  "  That  was  the  acknowledged  form  of  greeting, 
and  the  Knights  met  it,  with  variations  as  to  the  chocolates  and 
doughnuts,  wherever  they  went.  One  secretary  describes  how 
staff  officers  would  chew  nervously  Knights  of  Columbus  choco- 
lates while  bending  over  plans  marking  the  progress  of  current 
engagements.  The  officers  seemed  to  realize  that,  so  far  as  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  relief  workers  went,  privates  had,  per- 
haps, the  first  attention,  because  there  were  more  of  them  and 
they  needed  as  much  relief  as  they  could  get;  but  the  Knights 
never  overlooked  the  officers,  and,  as  a  rule,  officers  never  failed 
to  help  the  Knights  when  official  aid  was  needed  to  expedite  help 
to  the  boys.  They  realized,  with  the  men,  that  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  secretaries  were  regular,  "  three-meal-a-day  "  Ameri- 
cans who  understood  their  kind.  "Men  who  could  work  forty- 
3 


22       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

eight  hours  at  a  stretch,  in  hospital,  at  the  front  —  anywhere  they 
were  called  upon  —  without  a  murmur. 

Secretary  Guy  M.  Thomas  experienced  a  typical  Knights  of 
Columbus  initiation  into  war  work  —  his  first  assignment  in  a 
hospital  extending,  unbrokenly,  for  two  days  and  two  nights. 
In  the  operating-room  administering  anaesthetics  —  many  stout- 
hearted men  fainted  at  the  job.  Thomas  got  through  it,  although 
it  was  the  first  sight  he  had  had  of  bloodshed  in  profusion. 

One  boy  was  on  the  operating-table  three  hours,  he  remembers. 
"  The  doctors  whispered  that  there  was  no  hope.  The  operator 
took  out  from  the  region  of  the  heart  twenty-five  small  pieces  of 
door-knobs  and  bits  of  shrapnel.  You  could  literally  see  his  heart 
beat." 

He  describes  how  one  of  the  nurses  begged  him  to  carry  out 
her  dead  so  that  she  could  attend  to  the  living.  Single  handed, 
he  lifted  seven  dead  soldiers  from  the  operating  room. 

Mrs.  Woodrow  Wilson,  wife  of  the  President,  saw  Knights 
of  Columbus  secretaries  at  work  in  the  Paris  hospitals.  "  I  am 
glad,"  she  said  to  Secretary  Edward  Reed,  of  Longmont, 
"  to  see  the  Knights  of  Columbus  are  paying  such  close  attention 
to  the  sick  and  the  wounded  of  the  American  army,  and  giving 
the  same  excellent  attention  as  was  rendered  to  the  fighting  men 
in  the  front-line  trenches  during  open  hostilities." 

From  hospital  work  Thomas,  and  men  like  him,  went  to  new 
experiences.  Carrying  heavy  knapsacks  and  valises  containing 
spiritual  and  creature  comforts  —  scapulars,  prayer-books  and 
rosaries  as  well  as  the  usual  chocolate,  cigarettes  and  chewing 
gum  —  they  passed  up  and  down  the  first,  second  and  third  line 
trenches,  each  man  having  a  beat  of  four  kilometers.  When  the 
beat  was  finished  and  their  load  of  goods  distributed,  other  duties 
awaited  them. 

Leaving  the  trenches  once,  Thomas  came  upon  a  boy  lying 
in  a  ditch  badly  hurt  and  voicing  his  desire  for  a  priest.  The 
nearest  chaplain  was  in  Baccarat,  seven  miles  away.  Thomas 
went  for  him  and  both  returned  on  foot,  the  boy  receiving  the 
last  rites  of  the  Church  just  before  he  expired. 

After  that  experience  the  chaplain  wired  to  Paris  for  motor- 
cycles  for  the  secretaries,  which  were  promptly   forthcoming. 


Big  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  21 

As  soon  as  New  York  could  secure  the  cycles  from  factories 
devoted  to  government  orders  they  were  shipped  overseas  — 
hundreds  of  them  being  used  by  Knights  of  Columbus  men, 
enabling  one  secretary  to  cover  the  ground  quicker  than  five 
on  foot. 

Thomas  once  found  three  men  near  Montf aucon  —  men  of  the 
Thirty-seventh  Division.  One  was  a  lieutenant,  the  others  pri- 
vates, the  three  lying  near  each  other  in  the  woods.  Thomas 
went  to  the  two  privates  and  found  one  of  them  dead.  The  other 
craved  for  a  priest  but  no  priest  was  available,  every  one  of  them 
being  literally  embedded  among  the  thickly  fighting  troops  fur- 
ther up  the  line.  Thomas  said  the  Act  of  Contrition  over  the 
dying  man.  "  Casey,"  the  soldier  murmured  at  the  final  vow  of 
amendment,  "  please  repeat  that."  And  death  came  just  after 
the  secretary  had  filled  this  last  wish. 

About  fifty  feet  away  the  lieutenant  was  dying.  He  said  he 
was  of  no  regular  creed.  He  believed  in  God.  Questioned,  he 
could  not  give  his  name  but  he  wanted  to  get  near  to  God,  and 
when  Thomas  commenced  an  Act  of  Contrition  the  lieutenant's 
lips  moved  in  imitation,  but  he  passed  away  before  the  prayer 
was  finished. 

Innumerable  instances  of  the  same  kind  are  related  by  Knights 
of  Columbus  men.  One  tells  the  story  of  a  boy  who  called  to  a 
Knights  of  Columbus  chaplain  as  he  passed  through  a  hospital 
ward,  halting  now  and  again  to  hear  the  confessions  of  the  badly 
injured  men.  This  boy  made  his  confession.  The  padre  was  so 
intent  upon  comforting  as  many  boys  as  possible  that  he  over- 
looked the  lack  of  the  usual  formal  mode  of  confession.  He 
imparted  absolution  and  went  to  the  next  ward.  A  day  or  two 
later  the  boy  happened  to  remark  to  a  Knights  of  Columbus  secre- 
tary that  he  was  an  Episcopalian. 

''Then  why  did  you  go  to  confession  to  a  priest?"  he  was 
asked. 

"  Because  I  noticed  that  these  Catholic  boys  who  die  do  so 
decently  and  peacefully  after  they  have  confessed  to  the  priest. 
I  thought  I  was  going  to  die  so  I  called  the  priest,  and  it  certainly 
helped  me." 


CHAPTER  II 
MORE  FISTFULS  OF  FRIENDSHIP 

WHILE  more  picturesque  work  was  done  in  practically 
every  department,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  never,  any- 
where, rendered  more  substantial  service  for  the  fight- 
ing men  than  in  the  hospital.  What  was  practically  their  entry 
into  this  work  occurred  after  a  rather  amusing  colloquy  between 
Secretary  Timothy  Morris  and  a  Red  Cross  official,  when  Morris, 
acting  under  orders  from  Commissioner  Murray,  took  seven 
Knights  of  Columbus  men  out  to  the  hospital  at  Neuilly.  He 
reported  for  duty  to  a  Red  Cross  colonel  and  saluted: 

"  This  is  purely  Red  Cross  work,"  said  the  colonel. 

'*  It  is  also  Knights  of  Columbus  business,"  replied  Morris. 
''  We  are  organized  for  hospital  work." 

"  You  have  nothing  in  common  with  the  Red  Cross,"  the  colonel 
retorted. 

"  The  corridors  are  crowded  with  men,"  said  Morris,  *'  wounded 
and  dying.    We  are  here  to  help  take  care  of  them." 

"  We  have  our  women  and  others  around,"  said  the  colonel. 

But  Morris  persisted:  "  Coming  in  through  the  yard,"  he 
said,  "  we  saw  the  boys  lying  out  in  the  cold,  waiting  to  be  taken 
in;  why  are  they  lying  there?  " 

"  Because  we  have  not  space  enough,  doctors  enough,  nurses 
enough." 

"  We  are  ready  to  go  and  carry  those  boys  in,  shave  them,  wash 
them,  everything,"  said  Morris. 

*'  But  that  is  not  Knights  of  Columbus  work,"  said  the  colonel. 

"  Let  us  make  it  Knights  of  Columbus  work,"  said  Morris. 

The  colonel  capitulated,  shook  the  secretary's  hand,  and 
requested  a  lieutenant  to  assign  them  to  certain  wards. 

In  this  same  hospital  at  Neuilly,  Secretary  Louis  Le  Sage,  of 
Los  Angeles,  found  a  woman  moving  a  stretcher  with  a  heavy 
man  on  it.  He  requested  that  he  be  permitted  to  do  the  work, 
adding,  *'  That's  a  man's  job." 

[24] 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  25 

"Hm!  "  he  reports  the  woman  as  retorting,  "  I  never  saw  a 
woman  yet  who  couldn't  do  two  men's  work." 

"  Then  let  me  do  three  men's  work,"  said  Le  Sage. 

The  lady  laughingly  acquiesced.  She  was  Mrs.  William  K. 
Vanderbilt,  Jr. 

It  was  also  in  this  and  other  hospitals  that  Joseph  Gramling, 
of  Toledo,  who  later  became  famed  as  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
doughnut  king,  for  his  excellent  work  of  supervision  of  the 
doughnut  bakery  at  Coblenz,  broke  records  for  shaving  wounded 
men  —  a  service  which  became  a  feature  of  Knights  of  Columbus 
work  in  the  hospitals. 

The  secretaries  were  witnesses  of  the  pathos,  horror  and  para- 
doxical cheerfulness  of  the  hospitals.  In  some  places  conditions 
were  terrible,  ill  and  convalescent  men  having  to  walk  about  bare- 
footed on  bare  floors.  During  the  abnormal  rush  and  outgo  of 
patients  the  secretaries  found  many  cases  of  men  discharged 
from  hospital  while  yet  ill  to  whom  they  gave  aid. 

Secretary  "  Sandy  "  Chapman  and  other  men  with  experience 
as  entertainers  regularly  visited  the  hospitals,  entertaining  the 
patients  with  music  and  song.  To  one  of  the  secretaries  who 
had  placed  a  chocolate-cream  in  the  mouth  of  a  soldier  under- 
going a  vital  operation  without  anaesthetics,  a  doctor  said:  That 
piece  of  candy  saved  this  boy's  life.  It  helped  him  to  bear  pain 
that  might  otherwise  have  killed  him." 

Secretary  Thomas  J.  McLaughlin,  Supreme  Warden  of  the 
Order,  supplies  the  philosophy  with  which  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus men  assigned  to  hospital  —  some  two  hundred  in  all  — 
approached  their  task.  "  Never  push  anything  to  a  soldier," 
was  the  way  he  explained  it  to  beginners.  "  If  you  do,  he'll  push 
it  back.  You  must  give  whatever  you  give  —  stationery,  candy 
or  smokes  —  to  the  boys  as  if  it  were  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege. 
God  knows  it  ought  to  be.  When  you  promise  a  boy  you'll  return, 
or  write  a  letter  for  him,  or  get  something  to  him,  for  Heaven's 
sake  keep  the  promise,  as  he  usually  counts  the  hours  until  he 
sees  you." 

To  the  boys  it  was  just  like  having  a  good-natured  uncle  or 
an  affectionate  father  visit  them  when  the  Knights  of  Columbus 


26       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

men  worked  their  way  through  the  wards.  This  service  was 
maintained  wherever  American  troops  were  stationed,  at  home 
or  abroad,  and  the  Knights  made  the  innovation  of  bringing  large 
theatrical  and  boxing  and  wrestling  entertainments  into  the 
hospitals. 

Yet  while  the  success  of  the  hospital  work  might  well  have 
depended  upon  the  actual  bulk  of  goods  distributed  and  hours 
devoted  to  the  service,  the  chief  reason  for  this  success  was, 
unquestionably,  the  application  of  the  principle  contained  in  the 
homely  opinion  of  Secretary  McLaughlin,  In  the  words  of 
another  secretary,  it  was  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secre- 
taries were  instructed,  and  took  the  instruction  to  heart,  not  to 
consider  themselves  officers  but  privates  by  courtesy.  In  this 
spirit  of  Christian  humility  they  found  their  eagerness  to  serve, 
under  any  and  all  conditions,  accentuated.  They  neither  aped 
officers  nor  patronized  privates,  and  they  were  always  able  to 
carry  something  more  substantial  than  a  smile  throughout  their 
daily  work. 

Large  numbers  of  boys,  dreading,  as  many  healthy  people  do, 
the  prospect  of  a  hospital  with  its  inevitable  daily  scenes  of  death, 
would  go  to  Knights  of  Columbus  huts  and  request  the  secre- 
taries to  '*  fix  them  up  " —  the  word  having  sped  quickly,  as  words 
do  in  the  army,  that  each  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary  carried 
a  first-aid  kit  with  him.  Secretary  Patrick  Keefe,  of  Williams- 
town,  Massachusetts,  reports  that  he  gave  his  hut-bed  over  to  a 
wounded  private  who  dreaded  hospital  treatment.,  for  five  days, 
and  doctored  numbers  of  others. 

The  mother-wit  exercised  by  the  Knights  at  the  front  served 
wounded  men  in  good  stead  in  the  hospitals.  To  Secretary  James 
L.  Blunt,  of  Charles  City,  Iowa,  is  ascribed  the  saving  of  at  least 
one  man's  mind.  The  soldier  had  the  hallucination  that  people 
were  going  to  kill  him.  Blunt  clung  to  this  man,  taking  him  out 
for  long  walks,  smoking  and  chatting  with  him  on  almost  every 
conceivable  healthy  topic.  His  mind  continually  occupied,  the 
soldier  soon  became  normal.  Secretary  John  Kelly,  assigned  to 
St.  Elizabeth's  hospital,  Washington,  D.  C,  also  achieved  a  repu- 


^   Ik>, 


THE  KNIOHTS    OF  COIIIMIMIS  IM  MEAiCOE  AMD 'ms^oa. 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  27 

tation  for  his  excellent  work  in  helping  to   reclaim  mentally 
affected  soldiers. 

Blunt  narrates  an  instance  which  illustrates  another  phase  of 
Knights  of  Columbus  service.  A  soldier  went  to  him  one  day  in 
tears  because  he  had  not  heard  from  his  wife.  Blunt  attributed 
this  to  the  man's  poor  handwriting,  which  he  could  not  decipher 
after  examining  a  sample.  Without  giving  this  as  the  reason, 
Blunt  asked  the  soldier  for  his  wife's  address.  Blunt  then  wrote 
the  woman  a  letter,  and  before  a  month  elapsed  the  homesick 
doughboy  approached  the  secretary  radiant,  a  letter  from  his 
wife  gripped  in  his  hand.  Blunt  was  one  of  the  many  secretaries 
to  whom  the  men  he  aided  gave  tangible  evidence  of  their  appre- 
ciation. The  men  in  the  large  hospital  at  St.  Aignan  presented 
him  with  a  souvenir  painting  in  water-color,  bearing  the  names 
and  addresses  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers. 

The  American  Red  Cross,  at  the  close  of  operations  with  the 
A.  E.  F.,  officially  registered  its  thanks  to  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus for  their  co-operation  in  hospital  relief  work.  Thanks  to 
individual  Knights  of  Columbus  men  had  previously  been  given 
by  the  Red  Cross  as  the  following  sample  letter  testifies : 

A.  R.  C.  Military  Hospital  No  6 
Bellevue, 
Seine  et  Oise. 

December  13th  1918 
Dr.  Thomas  Arundel, 
K.  of  C.  War  Relief  Work, 
16,  Place  de  la  Madeleine, 
Paris. 

Dear  Doctor: 

I  am  taking  this  opportunity  to  send  you  this  litde  note  expressing 
the  pleasure  you  and  your  comrades  have  given  to  the  patients  and  per- 
sonnel of  the  A.  R.  C.  Military  Hospital  No  6. 

The  regularity  with  which  you  called  on  us  soon  became  a  habit  of  antici- 
pation by  the  men  and  I  can  voice  for  them  their  best  wishes  for  you  and 
thanks  for  your  many  kindnesses. 

Yours  sincerely, 

Capt.  F.  L.  Loring, 

A.  R.  C.  Representative. 


28       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

One  of  the  difficulties  confronting  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
secretary  in  his  service  overseas  was,  naturally,  his  non-acquaint- 
ance with  the  French  language.  Of  the  twelve  hundred  odd  men 
the  Knights  sent  over,  approximately  ten  per  cent  had  a  working 
knowledge  of  French.  The  secretaries  really  needed  the  language 
more  than  the  doughboys,  because  their  business  dealings  with  the 
natives  were  more  frequent  and  usually  more  complicated  than 
those  of  the  fighting  men.  Secretary  Thomas  Varia  has  pre- 
served a  few  samples  of  the  English  which  the  average  Knights 
of  Columbus  man  —  a  plain,  three-meal-a-day  American  —  had 
to  force  himself  to  comprehend.  Here  are  some  of  them:  "  You 
to  owe  to  precede  when  you  no  to  eat  not."  "  To  keep  you  your 
bed  how  much  of  time  you  to  be  absent  you?  "  "  You  will  coal 
or  forest  you  to  buy  to  merchant  and  we  make  fire."  No  small 
part  of  a  secretary's  time  and  patience  was  expended  in  attempt- 
ing to  interpret  such  talk.  But,  doubtless,  the  French  gave  full 
reciprocity  in  this  respect. 

The  French  people  were  not  slow  to  learn  or  appreciate  the 
Catholic  character  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  They  observed 
that  the  Knights  usually  managed  all  religious  celebrations  for 
the  American  Catholic  soldiers,  and  the  regularity  of  these  events, 
and  the  impressive  numbers  of  those  attending  them,  earned 
remarkable  prestige  for  the  Knights.  The  Marquis  de  Saint 
Seine  established  cordial  relations  with  Secretary  Mark  O. 
Shriver,  of  Baltimore,  for  some  time  in  charge  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  club  at  Dijon,  which  was  in  the  old  Hotel  Marais, 
a  building  dating  back  to  1704.  The  Marquis  had  the  inspiration 
to  begin  a  series  of  teas,  in  which  the  Knights  (Secretary  Shriver, 
Frank  A.  Larkin,  of  New  York;  I.  J.  Carlton  of  Chelsea,  Massa- 
chusetts; H.  Onen,  of  Dowagiac,  Michigan;  George  D,  Fitz- 
gerald, of  Connecticut,  and  J.  A.  J.  Beauparlant,  of  Missouri) 
co-operated,  and  officers  and  enlisted  men  were  brought  into  con- 
tact with  French  families.  Secretary  Owen  Merrick  established 
similar  cordial  relations  with  the  family  of  Monsieur  Bol^e  the 
French  inventor  of  the  aeroplane,  at  Le  Mans. 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  29 

At  Le  Mans,  where  the  Knights  had  another  historic  build- 
ing —  originally  put  up  by  a  Roman  Cardinal  in  the  reign  of 
Louis  XV  —  where  Napoleon  III  made  his  headquarters  during 
the  war  with  Prussia,  similar  social  affairs  were  held.  Secretary 
John  F.  Moran,  of  Brooklyn,  being  in  charge  there  for  some  time. 

This  contact  with  the  more  refined  things  of  life  was  brought 
about  in  many  ways.  Dr.  Thomas  Arundel  reports  how  he, 
accompanied  by  Secretaries  E.  E.  McGinn  and  E.  D.  White,  com- 
menced a  series  of  visitations  on  the  part  of  Americans  to  the 
battlefield  home  of  Miss  Mildred  Aldrich,  authoress  of  A  Hilltop 
on  the  Marne,  her  hilltop  home  being  four  miles  from  Esbly 
and  near  the  heart  of  the  Marne  fighting.  Miss  Aldrich,  a  Bos- 
tonian  and  relative  of  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich,  complimented  the 
Knights  on  what  she  termed  their  "  knightly  mission  in  France." 
"  I  have  had  a  little  direct  personal  experience  of  your  organiza- 
tion," she  said,  "  When  help  was  badly  needed  here  after  a  wicked 
bombardment,  your  Paris  office  not  only  helped,  but  helped  as 
soon  as  they  were  requested  to  do  so." 

One  of  the  most  able  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries 
overseas  was  Arthur  Lord,  a  non-Catholic,  who  had  charge  of 
the  club  at  Tours.  A  cultured  man,  who  volunteered  for  service 
with  the  Knights  when,  a  resident  of  France,  he  saw  their  effec- 
tiveness among  the  American  troops.  He  acted  as  interpreter 
between  the  Archbishop  of  Tours  and  the  American  officers  on 
duty  in  the  city. 

Secretary  Lord,  though  not  a  Catholic,  arranged  one  of  the 
greatest  religious  events  ever  carried  out  for  the  A.  E.  F.  This 
was  the  celebration  of  the  feast  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours.  He 
converted  an  unpromising  schoolhouse  into  one  of  the  best 
equipped  soldiers'  clubs  in  Europe.  He  relates  with  amusement 
his  first  experiences  as  a  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary.  Some 
men  would  nervously  peer  in  at  the  door. 

"  Can  we  come  in?"  they'd  say. 

"  Certainly." 

"  But  we're  not  Knights,"  the  soldiers  would  say. 

"  Neither  am  L" 


30      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

"  We're  not  even  Catholics.'' 

"  Neither  am  I." 

"  You're  joking.    No?    Well,  we'll  be  hanged!  " 

Incidentally,  Secretary  Lord  achieved  fame  through  his  gen- 
erous employment  of  quinine  upon  all  comers  during  the  influenza 
epidemic,  hundreds  of  boys  attributing  their  immunity  to  his  care. 

Resourcefulness  in  obtaining  transportation  was  generally 
attributed  to  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  by  officers  in 
charge  of  the  means  of  transport.  One  secretary  made  use  of 
native  ox-carts  with  teams  of  oxen.  Perhaps  the  most  striking 
case  in  point  is  that  of  Denis  Gates.  He  had  been  working  with 
the  headquarters  of  a  division  in  the  Argonne  and  was  exceed- 
ingly anxious  to  get  back  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  base  for 
supplies.  No  available  means  of  transport  offered.  Gates  prayed 
for  any  sort  of  thing  on  wheels  that  could  move  quicker  than 
he  could  walk.  His  prayer  was  royally  answered.  At  base  head- 
quarters a  group  of  doughboys  idly  enjoying  the  rare  French  sun 
snapped  to  attention  when  they  saw  the  private  car  of  the  general 
in  command  of  the  division  roll  up  to  them.  To  their  surprise 
and  amusement  the  limousine  door  opened  upon  Denis  Gates  in 
his  hardworked  Knights  of  Columbus  uniform.  He  asked  the 
boys  for  direction,  offered  them  a  ride  in  the  general's  car,  and, 
that  being  declined,  rolled  boldly  away  to  his  destination.  No 
complete  explanation  has  been  forthcoming  as  to  how  Gates 
secured  the  car  and  the  driver,  but,  like  most  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  secretaries  of  Irish  blood,  Gates  had  a  way  with  those 
who  could  help  him  to  help  the  boys.  This  same  general's  car  saw 
truly  democratic  service  by  being  used  to  carry  some  supplies  to 
humble  doughboys. 

But  even  this  exalted  means  of  transportation  was  not  the  limit 
of  the  enterprise  of  the  Knight  of  Columbus.  Quite  literally  they 
went  higher,  as  in  the  case  of  Martin  V.  Merle  and  his  aeroplane 
delivery.  If  there  was  excitement  in  getting  supplies  to  the  front, 
there  were  occasions,  too,  when  the  Knights  of  Columbus  trucks 
carried  something  besides  tobacco  and  cigarettes  and  candy. 
Secretary  Moran,  previously  referred  to,  was  in  the  St.  Mihicl 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  31 

sector,  and,  pausing  at  a  little  village  with  his  motor-truck, 
observed  a  crowd  of  poilus  in  animated  conversation  with  two 
men  among  them.  Upon  investigation  he  discovered  that  two 
Yankee  sailors  had  aroused  the  poilus'  curiosity.  Moran  knew 
that  the  sailors  had  no  earthly  right  to  be  at  the  front.  It  was 
many  tens  of  kilometers  out  of  bounds  for  able-bodied  seamen. 

He  thrust  his  way  through  the  gesticulant  Frenchmen  and 
found  the  sailors  to  be  robust  mid-Western  boys,  who  immediately 
hailed  him  as  brother  Casey  and  asked  to  be  released  from  their 
admirers. 

''  Makes  us  feel  like  a  museum,"  said  one. 

So  Moran,  who,  as  the  sailors  expressed  it,  ''  parlay-vooed  " 
somewhat,  managed  to  break  them  away  from  the  poilus. 

"  We're  'way  a.w.o.l."  one  of  the  boys  remarked.  "  They'll 
throw  us  in  the  brig  when  we  get  back  to  Brest." 

"Brest!"  Moran  whistled.  "You  mean  to  tell  me  you've 
played  hooky  over  four  hundred  miles !  "    And  he  whistled  again. 

"  Well,"  said  one  of  the  boys,  "  we  simply  had  to  see  the  front !  " 

Moran  chuckled.  But  his  mind  was  uneasy  until  he  had  safely 
steered  the  motor-truck  back  to  Paris,  the  boys  making  themselves 
as  comfortable  as  they  could,  hidden  from  the  keen  eye  of  the 
M.  P.'s  by  sacks  and  empty  cases  —  for  no  M.  P.  ever  questioned 
the  contents  of  a  Knights  of  Columbus  car;  they  had  too  many 
happy  acquaintances  with  those  contents. 

At  Paris  the  sailors  transferred  quietly  to  another  Knights  of 
Columbus  truck  en  route  for  Brest.  Thus  they  made  their  des- 
tination without  having  to  brave  public  conveyances  with  the 
risk  of  being  challenged  for  passes  and  placed  under  arrest  when 
they  could  not  produce  them.  The  last  Knights  of  Columbus 
eyes  set  on  them  saw  them  making  a  careful  approach  in  the 
dusk  towards  their  ship  lying  at  the  dock  at  Brest. 

This  is  an  instance  of  aid  rendered  within  the  law,  although 
in  active  military  life  everything  was  accepted  as  within  the  law 
that  was  not  discovered  to  be  contrary  to  law.  There  are  those, 
many  of  them  newspaper  correspondents,  who  assert  that  some 
regiments  on  service  in  France  attributed  much  of  their  affection 


32       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  to  the  fact  that  the  secretaries  were 
"  human  beings,"  an  elementary  term  for  which  the  more 
advanced  doughboy  synonym  was  "  regular  fellows."  When  a 
soldier  was  in  trouble  —  serious  trouble  —  when  he  needed  aid 
even  at  the  expense  of  some  military  regulation  which,  in  common 
with  most  things  military,  worked  hardship  in  individual  cases, 
he  could  —  so  the  doughboy  tradition  ran  —  always  find  a  friend 
in  need  in  the  person  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary 
attached  to  his  "  outfit." 

A  striking  case  is  recorded  regarding  a  secretary  at  Camp 
Merritt  —  perhaps  the  camp  with  the  most  dramatic  atmosphere 
of  any  in  the  United  States  on  account  of  its  being  the  final 
halting  place  for  the  bulk  of  the  A.  E.  F.  bound  for  Europe. 
This  secretary,  in  his  daily  rounds  through  the  camp  guard- 
house, was  accosted  by  a  lad  who  impressed  him  as  being  of 
refined  upbringing.  The  camp  was  commanded  by  a  most  rigid 
disciplinarian.  The  boy  had  been  punished  severely  for  a  minor 
offense  against  discipline.  The  secretary  heard  the  lad's  story; 
his  mother  was  on  her  deathbed  and  a  stern  refusal  had  met  his 
every  appeal  to  be  released  in  order  to  go  to  her. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary  had  the  story  corroborated 
by  the  boy's  captain  who  said  in  confidence  that  the  sentence 
visited  on  the  boy  and  the  rigor  of  its  prosecution  was  totally  out 
of  proportion  to  the  offense  committed.  But  the  captain  added 
that  he  was  powerless  to  help  the  lad  reach  his  dying  mother. 
The  secretary  pondered  over  the  circumstances  of  the  case  and 
found  that  the  sergeant  in  charge  of  the  night  guard  was  especi- 
ally friendly  towards  him.  The  sergeant  and  a  casual  private 
were  taken  into  the  secretary's  confidence  and  one  night  when 
the  roll  was  called  and  the  prisoners  counted  somebody  else 
answered  for  the  lad  from  Philadelphia,  who  was  at  his  mother's 
bedside  —  but  the  Philadelphia  boy  answered  for  himself  the  fol- 
lowing morning. 

That  story  became  public  property  at  Camp  Merritt.  It  is  a 
companion  to  the  story  of  the  secret  military  prison  in  Paris. 
There  were,  as  General  Pershing  hag  put  it,  "  hard  characters  " 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  33 

in  these  military  prisons.  Army  life  along  the  old  lines  is,  unques- 
tionably, not  calculated  to  soften  hard  characters.  By  accident 
a  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary  in  Paris  discovered  this  prison, 
access  to  which  had  not  been  given  to  war-relief  workers.  This 
secretary  —  Supreme  Warden  Thomas  J.  McLaughlin  —  know- 
ing that  the  Overseas  Commissioners  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
were  sticklers  for  compliance  with  military  regulations,  decided 
not  to  trouble  them  to  obtain  permission  to  enter  the  prison 
since  the  army  had  obviously  no  desire  to  grant  it.  Instead, 
he  sought  and  obtained  the  friendship  of  the  exterior  guard 
and  became  introduced  to  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  prison. 
He,  after  much  moral  suasion,  granted  the  secretary  the  privi- 
lege of  visiting  the  prison  twice  a  week  to  distribute  comforts 
to  the  inmates  and  otherwise  cheer  them.  McLaughlin  went  each 
Tuesday  and  Friday  with  a  fat  haversack  on  his  back,  stuffed 
with  candy  and  cigarettes  and  chewing  gum,  not  forgetting  a  few 
religious  articles.  He  would  distribute  these  comforts  and  then 
stand  in  the  center  of  the  stone  corridor  between  the  murky  cells 
and  render  old-time  ballads  (his  favorite  selection,  by  the  way, 
being  "  The  Old  Family  Toothbrush  ")  to  the  *'  hard  characters  " 
who  would,  when  their  emotions  were  sufficiently  aroused,  join 
in  the  refrain.  The  officer  in  charge  gave  McLaughlin  permis- 
sion to  visit  the  prison  for  an  indefinite  period  at  stated  hours, 
provided  he  kept  the  location  secret.  This  McLaughlin  did, 
nobody  to  this  day  having  learned  from  him  which  prison  it  was 
out  of  the  several  penitentiaries  in  Paris. 

Even  those  who  have  never  regarded  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
with  favorable  eyes  have  been  compelled  to  admit  their  Puck- 
like manner  of  rendering  service  to  the  fighting  men  in  the  most 
out-of-way  places  and  on  apparently  impossible  occasions.  Chair- 
m.an  Raymond  B.  Fosdick,  of  the  Commission  on  Training  Camp 
Activities,  made  something  of  a  belated  recognition  of  this  display 
of  mother-wit  —  for  such  it  was  —  a  system  neither  devised  nor 
operated  by  the  efficiency  considered  to  be  essential  to  modern 
organized  achievement.  The  Knights '  placed  their  secretaries 
at  a  piece  of  work,  merely  stating  the  end  to  be  gained  —  leaving 


34       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  ways  and  means  to  individual  initiative.  They  had  no  reason 
to  regret  their  confidence  in  their  workers. 

At  the  height  of  the  struggle  at  Chateau-Thierry  the  hospitals 
at  Neuilly  and  elsewhere  on  the  terrain  between  Paris  and 
Chateau-Thierry  needed  manual  assistance.  The  services  of  a 
score  of  Knights  of  Columbus  workers  were  offered  to  the  Army 
IMedical  Corps.  Cars  and  trucks  rushed  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
men  to  the  hospitals,  where  for  thirty-six  hours  during  the 
fiercest  fighting  they  worked  over  the  wounded. 

At  no  time  was  the  mother-wit  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
workers  better  exemplified  than  when  "  Uncle  "  Joe  Kernan  sat 
through  an  entire  night  in  a  dugout  beyond  Baccarat  slicing  up 
army  loaves  and  inserting  sardines  between  the  slices,  feeding 
scores  of  men  in  the  advanced  dressing  stations  when  the  people 
of  the  Red  Cross  and  the  Army  Medical  Corps  were  overwhelmed 
with  work. 

While  this  characteristic  rendering  of  service  where  and  when 
it  was  most  needed  and  least  likely  to  be  given,  was  thrown  into 
high  relief  against  the  background  of  the  battle-line  it  was  no 
less  effective  in  the  rear.  The  Knights  were  constantly  active  in 
the  S.  O.  S.  A  large  part  of  their  best  work  was  done  there. 
Naturally,  being  along  the  settled  lines  of  all  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus service,  there  are  few  instances  of  the  striking  utility  dis- 
played under  fire.  Deeds  in  the  ordinary  course  of  duty  one  mile 
back  of  the  firing  front  were  rendered  highly  dramatic  by  their 
performance  within  range  of  hand  grenades.  But  the  secretaries 
always  made  it  their  business  to  seek  out  uncomforted  men  and 
carry  comfort  to  them.  At  Nantes  a  Knights  of  Columbus 
worker  discovered  one  of  the  largest  American  army  hospitals 
for  men  suffering  from  venereal  diseases.  Living  in  a  state  of 
isolation,  these  men  were  apparently  ignored  by  all  the  war-relief 
agencies.  The  secretary  reported  the  fact  to  headquarters  in 
Paris  and  aid  was  instantly  dispatched  to  the  several  hundred 
men  in  the  hospital.  Undergoing  deprivation  of  pay  and  other 
privileges  consequent  on  their  offenses,  they  were  delighted  to 
have  the  monotony  of  hospital  life  relieved  by  generous  rations 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  35 

of  creature  comforts.  The  thoughtfulness  of  the  organization 
brought  cheer  into  the  Hves  of  these  unfortunate  men.  At  Melan- 
court  no  less  a  personage  than  General  John  J.  Pershing,  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  found  himself  one  day  without  his  car  in 
a  drizzling  rain,  feeling  something  of  the  misery  experienced  by 
the  hard-marched  doughboys.  Secretary  Guy  Thomas,  of  St. 
Louis,  approached  the  General  and  offered  him  the  same  quality 
and  quantity  of  chocolates  and  cigarettes  which  he  had  been  dis- 
tributing to  infantrymen  of  the  ranks.  General  Pershing  smil- 
ingly accepted  the  gifts  after  making  a  query  regarding  the  secre- 
tary's presence,  which  the  simple  little  service  rendered  the 
General  answered  better  than  any  words. 

John  E.  McBennet,  a  secretary  hailing  from  New  York  City, 
one  day  was  making  a  hurried  tour  in  his  capacity  of  district 
supervisor  through  the  Ste.  Mdnehould  fighting  zone.  This  was 
in  the  day  when  open  fighting  was  the  chief  order  of  business, 
with  the  enemy  retreating  quickly  but  in  order,  systematically 
pursued  by  American  artillery  fire. 

McBennet,  in  his  eagerness  to  get  his  particular  job  done  so 
that  more  work  might  be  accomplished,  missed  his  route  and 
ran  around  seeking  to  recover  the  right  road  when  he  caught 
sight  of  two  German  helmets  not  far  away.  The  Germans  were 
not  prisoners  because  they  were  unconvoyed,  and  they  carried 
arms.  He  was  in  enemy  territory,  and  it  behooved  him  to  escape 
from  it  as  quickly  as  possible  if  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were 
not  to  have  a  secretary,  a  chauffeur  and  a  car  reported  missing. 
By  stealth  and  speed  he  managed  to  get  back  to  the  American 
lines  unhurt.  He  was  eloquently  narrating  the  adventure  to  an 
artillery  officer  when  the  officer  broke  in: 

"  You'd  better  thank  God  that  He  gave  you  a  fine  day.  The 
sun  shone  on  your  K-C  chevron  at  a  distance,  otherwise  my  bat- 
tery would  have  wiped  your  car  off  the  map." 

Other  adventures  there  were  —  hundreds  of  them  —  each 
secretary  having  his  quota.  But  perhaps  to  Joseph  P.  Crowe  of 
Binghamton,  the  most  remarkable  belongs. 


36       The  Knights  of  Coluxvibus  in   Peace  and  War 

Crowe  served  with  the  Fourth  BattaHon  of  the  Three  Hundred 
and  Fifteenth  Infantry.  His  had  been  the  typical  experience  of 
the  average  secretary,  constant,  indefatigable  service  under  all 
sorts  of  conditions.  At  one  time  he  volunteered  to  bury  two  men 
who  had  been  dead  for  several  days  on  the  battlefield,  when,  as 
soldiers  of  the  "'  outfit  "  testified,  no  other  could  be  found  who 
would  venture  under  fire  to  perform  the  last  Christian  rites  over 
the  fallen  men.  It  was  after  this  incident  that  he  stood,  one 
morning,  in  a  little  hovel  where  he  slept  while  with  the  regiment 
at  the  front.  Enemy  shell-fire  was  frequent,  but  Crowe  had 
become  accustomed  to  danger.  He  made  his  daily  walk  to  the 
front-line  dugouts  to  distribute  supplies  among  the  men.  On  this 
morning  Crowe  had  a  presentiment  that  a  fateful  moment  in  his 
career  had  been  reached.  This  presentiment  was  heightened 
when,  having  left  the  hovel,  a  shell  struck  the  spot  where  he  had 
been  standing  beside  a  soldier,  and  the  soldier  dropped,  instantly 
destroyed. 

Shaken,  but  dauntless,  Crowe  went  on  his  way,  his  valise  slung 
over  his  shoulder.  For  half  a  mile  he  trudged,  the  incident  at 
the  hovel  rendered  remote,  perhaps,  in  his  speculations  as  to 
whether  one  of  the  shells  flying  overhead  with  unnerving  fre- 
quency might  not  strike  him.  He  came  within  calling  distance  of 
his  "  outfit,"  and  was  preparing,  under  increased  enemy  fire,  to 
run  forward  to  the  men,  w^hen  a  shell  struck  him.  He  lay  for 
hours,  unconscious,  the  men  of  the  battalion  thinking  him  dead. 
On  their  way  back  from  the  trenches  one  of  the  men  bent  over 
Crowe  and,  to  his  surprise,  found  the  secretary  alive,  but  with 
his  right  leg  badly  shattered.  He  and  two  companions  carried 
Crowe  to  a  waiting  ambulance.  From  this  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus worker,  then  conscious  and  alive  to  every  harrowing  detail 
of  his  pain,  was  transferred  to  a  railway  carriage.  He  was  hung 
in  chains  and  rolled  away,  with  a  dozen  other  serious  cases,  to 
the  base  hospital.  There  his  leg  was  amputated,  and  there  he  lay 
for  several  weeks,  wretched  and  inconsolable  —  until  the  Knights 
secured  him  an  artificial  limb  and  found  him  suitable  occupation 
in  the  Paris  headquarters.     His  return  to  Binghamton  was  the 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  3'7 

occasion  for  a  civic  celebration,  as  also  his  investiture  by  Dr. 
Marcel  Knecht  of  the  French  High  Commission  with  the  Croix 
de  Guerre,  bestowed  upon  him  by  Marshal  P^tain. 

James  Lenihan  of  Gloucester  was  wounded  while  attending 
men  in  action,  a  piece  of  shrapnel  entering  his  body.  His  clothing 
torn,  he  was  forced  to  strip  ofif  the  trousers  of  a  dead  British 
soldier  to  cover  his  wound  until  assistance  arrived.  Lenihan 
relates  that  while  in  the  hospital  at  Montdidier  he  heard  a  most 
succinct  verbal  illustration  of  the  democratic  and  thoroughly 
American  character  of  our  fighting  men.  A  private,  horribly 
wounded,  had  gone  through  a  major  operation  without  wincing. 
In  the  bed  beside  [um  in  the  operating  room  was  the  major  of 
the  private's  battalion.  He,  too,  was  greviously  wounded.  After 
being  operated  upon,  the  major  emitted  fearful  groans  and  agon- 
ized sighs  while  passing  through  the  stages  of  recovery  from  the 
ether.    The  private  glared  at  him. 

"  Shut  up,  you !  "  he  growled.    "  You're  a  yellow  dog !  " 

The  major  heard,  saw  and  remembered  the  private.  But  when 
the  two  subsequently  met,  the  private  snapped  a  salute  to  his 
major,  and  the  major  responded,  and  each  saw  in  the  other's  eyes 
the  testament  of  mutual  respect. 

In  the  same  hospital  Lenihan  heard  a  lad  from  Tennessee 
denouncing  the  enemy. 

"  Those  darned,  Germans,"  the  boy  drawled.     "  Let 

'em  try  what  they  will,  mustard  gas  (he  had  had  it  as  his  scorched 
face  and  watery  eyes  attested),  fire-flame  or  anything  else  — 
they'll  never  beat  us  Yanks! " 

The  swift  and  vivid  drama  of  the  war,  through  which  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  lived  as  intimately  as  any  of  those  thou- 
sands who  went  into  the  enemy  fire,  came  to  a  conclusion  that 
had  in  its  strangeness  something  of  the  unreality  of  a  cold  awak- 
ening from  a  nightmare.  Secretary  Henry  Ruel  of  Kankakee, 
describes  how,  at  Somauthe,  near  Pierrepont,  which  is  on  the 
way  to  Sedan  from  the  eastern  front,  he  and  some  comrades 
were  halted  by  an  M.  P.  who  inquired:  "  Say,  Casey,  have  you 
heard  the  armistice  is  signed?  " 
4 


oS      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  men  knew  that  the  guns  had  ceased 
firing,  and  they  had  already  witnessed  the  return  of  refugees  to 
the  straggling  villages  in  the  battle-zone.  One  woman  they  had 
found  in  a  ruined  church,  on  the  verge  of  childbirth.  They  had 
summoned  an  American  Red  Cross  doctor,  who  instantly  aided 
the  woman.  Men  of  all  nationalities,  French,  Belgians,  British, 
Scotch,  Irish,  Russians,  Senegalese,  Chinese,  Germans  and  Amer- 
icans, roamed  the  roads,  ragged  and  filthy,  but  all  joyful  that  the 
great  conflict  had  at  length  subsided. 

Secretaries  Samuel  L.  Kelly  of  Richmond,  John  J.  Donovan 
of  Boston,  and  Ray  J.  Kupper  of  Kenosha,  were  the  very  first 
men  of  the  so-called  Allied  armies  to  enter  Belgium  after  the 
signing  of  the  armistice,  going  into  Ninove  ahead  of  the 
American  army.  ''We  were  pressing  on  to  Brussels,"  writes 
Kelly,  "  but  when  we  reached  Ninove  from  Roulers  we  were  told 
that  the  Germans  were  still  in  the  capital.  So  we  waited.  For 
twenty  miles  along  the  road  we  met  a  continuous  stream  of  refu- 
gees, spreading  out  from  Brussels  all  over  the  land.  They  gave 
us  a  continuous  ovation;  they  threw  flowers  and  kisses  at  the 
little  American  flag  fluttering  from  the  radiator  of  our  car.  In 
Brussels  they  dug  up  wine  that  had  been  in  hiding  for  four  years 
and  made  us  join  them  in  drinking  it,  and,  to  our  amazement, 
some  of  the  best  roast  pork  we  ever  tasted  w^as  served  us  —  pro- 
duced from  a  prize  hog  that  had  somehow  or  other  been  kept  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  Germans  against  the  glad  day  of  deliverance." 
Secretaries  Guy  Thomas  and  Walter  Parker  joined  the  other 
men,  and,  in  memory  of  the  occasion,  the  Belgians  photographed 
them  all  in  front  of  the  Th^^tre  Royal,  Brussels.  Kelly 
records  the  joyous  astonishment  of  the  Belgian  populace  when, 
before  a  huge  crowd  in  the  central  square  of  Brussels,  he  bade 
farewell  to  the  last  of  the  departing  Germans  with  a  rebel  yell 
learned  to  its  most  ear-splitting  perfection  in  his  native  Virginia. 
Secretary  Leonard,  who  was  also  in  Belgium  at  the  close  of  hos- 
tilities, reports  that  a  French  military  automobile  rushed  through 
the  village  in  which  he  was  operating  a  club,  its  occupants  shout- 
ing, ''  La  guerre  est  finie! "    The  church  bells  rang,  pistols  were 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  39 

fired,  the  people  poured  out  of  their  ruined  houses  and  with  bared, 
bowed  heads,  heard  a  trumpeter  sound  "  The  Star  Spangled 
Banner." 

By  a  thousand  different  tales,  each  as  gripping  as  any  coming 
out  of  the  frightful  agony  of  heroism,  and  most  of  them  forgotten 
in  the  strange  oblivion  that  swallows  up  the  endless  epics  of  the 
unsung  dead,  the  weight  of  the  human  value  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  at  the  front,  and  in  the  places  back  of  the  front,  might 
be  measured.  Not  one  chapter,  not  one  book,  nor  a  library,  could 
contain  the  aggregate  of  these  stories  of  man's  humanity  to  man. 
Some  there  are  that  hold  fast  in  the  memory ;  that  shadow  forth, 
in  partial  if  not  total  truth,  the  strength  of  the  story  of  what  the 
Knights  did  in  danger  for  the  men  they  served.  The  historian 
must  thankfully  record  these,  confident  that  the  tongues  of  the 
returned  soldiers  will  carry  others  down  to  posterity,  whose  heri- 
tage they  are. 

Yet  one  more  tale  must  be  told,  because  in  it  is  found  the 
essence  of  chivalry. 

A  boy  of  one  of  our  great  cities  had  been  drafted.  He  was  a 
genuine  boy,  loving  with  all  his  heart  his  home,  his  mother,  his 
sister  and  his  sweetheart.  So  great  was  his  love  for  his  sweet- 
heart, and  so  thoroughly  boyish,  that  it  exceeded  his  wisdom.  He 
married  her  during  a  brief  leave  of  absence  from  camp. 

He  was  a  boy  radiating  happiness.  He  eagerly  sought  some 
way  in  which  to  increase  the  comfort  of  his  comrades.  The 
Knights  of  Columbus  gave  him  this  opportunity  by  enlisting  his 
services  to  aid  in  entertainments  in  their  huts.  The  young  soldier 
was  the  life  of  every  entertainment.  When  his  regiment  received 
orders  to  sail  for  France,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary, 
knowing  the  boy's  value  as  an  agent  for  the  promotion  of  morale, 
sought  to  have  him  assigned  to  permanent  work  in  the  camp.  But 
the  Commander  interpreted  military  rules  in  a  strictly  military 
way.  The  boy  must  sail  with  the  rest  of  the  regiment  within 
forty-eight  hours. 

The  boy  showed  no  sign  of  disappointment.  He  spoke  cheer- 
fully to  everybody.     But  on  the  night  before  his  regiment  was 


40       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

scheduled  to  entrain  for  the  transport  —  the  night  after  the  Com- 
mander's refusal  had  been  made  known  to  him,  he  disappeared 
from  camp.  Before  leaving  he  had  told  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
secretary  that  he  would  report  back  in  time  to  leave  with  his 
comrades. 

But  he  was  absent  without  leave.  Reckless  in  his  love  for 
his  girl-wife,  who  was  destined  to  become  a  mother,  he  went 
home.  His  absence  was  discovered  at  the  first  roll-call.  The 
camp  was  combed,  with  no  result.  Military  police  were  sent  in 
search  of  him. 

They  reached  his  home,  and  the  swift  voices  of  neighbors 
carried  the  news  of  their  arrival  up  to  the  fourth  story  of  the 
tenement  house,  where  the  boy  was  snatching  the  last  few  hours 
he  could  in  the  bosom  of  his  family.  Rashly,  he  attempted  to 
escape.  It  was  a  cold  winter  night,  and  as  he  stepped  on  the  fire- 
escape  in  the  rear  of  the  tenement  and  attempted  a  hurried 
descent,  he  slipped,  grasped  vainly  at  the  iron  rail,  and  fell  to  the 
stone  yard  below,  his  skull  split  by  the  fall.  The  military  police 
picked  him  up  and  carried  back  his  dead  body  to  the  little  tene- 
ment home.  Then  they  left,  and  again  the  swift  voices  of  the 
neighbors  carried  word  to  the  little  flat  —  cruel  words  of  sus- 
picion and  calumny.  The  boy,  said  these  voices,  had  committed 
suicide  to  avoid  arrest  and  service  at  the  front;  he  had  died  a 
deserter ! 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary  visited  the  grief-stricken 
family.  He  heard  the  neighbors'  whisperings,  and  his  quick  wit 
cut  to  the  core  of  the  sorrow  in  the  little  home.  The  old  mother 
was  proud;  she  smarted  under  this  bitter  gossip. 

The  secretary  went  back  to  camp.  Cap  in  hand,  he  approched 
the  Commander. 

"  This  man  was  not  a  deserter,"  he  explained.  "  He  sent  me 
this  telegram  the  day  he  died,  telling  me  that  he  would  report  to 
camp  by  the  first  train.  I  believe  that  when  he  met  his  death  he 
intended  to  elude  the  military  police  and  get  back  to  camp  ahead 
of  them.  Can  you  grant  him  a  military  funeral  and  save  his 
mother's  heart  from  breaking  and  his  child  from  stigma?  " 

The  Commander  could  not. 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  41 

But  the  secretary,  disappointed,  even  discouraged,  was  yet 
resourceful.  He  visited  one  of  the  big  military  hospitals  in  the 
city.  He  looked  over  the  roster  of  wounded,  and  found  a  name 
to  his  liking.  Approaching  a  burly,  convalescent  officer,  he  related 
the  story  of  the  young  soldier's  death.  The  officer  heard  it  with 
interest,  and,  with  greater  interest,  the  secretary's  proposal.  The 
following  morning  the  funeral  was  to  take  place  from  the  little 
tenement.  It  was  to  be  a  simple  ceremony  —  for  the  neighbors 
were  more  than  whispering,  they  were  talking  openly  of  the 
"  suicide  deserter,"  of  the  ''  coward." 

But  that  morning  they  opened  their  eyes  when  a  small  squad 
of  soldiers,  eight  in  number,  containing  a  sergeant  and  two  cor- 
porals and  commanded  by  a  burly  officer,  his  face  pale  from 
gazing  upon  hospital  w^alls,  arrived  at  the  tenement.  The  squad 
mounted  the  stairs.  In  the  little  flat  where  lay  the  dead  between 
heart-broken  mourners,  the  officer  conferred  with  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  secretary.  An  American  flag  was  laid  over  the 
coffin,  and  quietly  the  squad  of  men  lifted  the  casket  down  the 
stairs,  the  aged  mother  and  the  young  wife  and  sister  following, 
their  heads  lifted  high  as  they  passed  through  the  lines  of  gaping 
neighbor-faces,  whose  tongues  were  stilled  by  the  impressive 
ritual  of  military  honor  paid  to  the  dead. 

But  that  was  not  all.  The  practical  Christianity  of  the  Knight 
was  as  insistent  as  his  sentiment.  Obstinately  he  fought  the  bat- 
tle of  the  poor,  pitiful  dead.  Before  a  military  board  he  proved 
that  the  unfortunate  soldier  had  no  intention  to  desert.  As  a 
result  the  widowed  wife  and  mourning  mother  received  the  dead 
man's  government  insurance,  paid  up  to  the  last  penny. 

No  story  that  could  be  told  illustrates  better  the  sound  and 
stubborn  fortitude  of  the  typical  Knights  of  Columbus  worker  in 
the  cause  of  the  American-in-arms.  The  soldier's  name  has 
never  been  confided  to  anyone  outside  of  the  immediate  actors  in 
the  little  drama.  It  will  never  be  known  beyond  these  few ;  for 
the  old  mother  still  lives,  the  young  wife  lives,  and  there  is  now 
another  to  be  considered.  They  know  that  their  soldier  son  and 
husband  and  father  died  a  soldier,  for  he  was  buried  with  full 
military  honors.    That  is  enough. 


42       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  American  doughboy  was  usually  in  the  habit  of  expressing 
his  opinions,  favorable  or  unfavorable,  in  brusque  phrases.  He 
meditated  over  his  experiences,  saw  the  place  that  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  occupied  in  his  life  overseas,  and  in  Qn'est-ceqiiec'est, 
an  American  soldiers'  newspaper  published  at  the  University  of 
Toulouse,  he  passed  this  formal  verdict  on  the  Knights : 

THE  KNIGHTS   OF  COLUMBUS 

It  was  in  the  training  camp  on  the  plains  of  the  great  West  that  we  first 
came  into  intimate  contact  with  them  —  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  They 
had  a  "  hut "  where  a  man  could  go  for  a  few  moments  each  day  and  read 
in  quiet  and  peace,  away  from  the  40,000  other  men  in  the  cantonment. 

At  a  small  unknown  port  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  they  bade  us  ''  hon 
voyage  "  with  hot  coffee  and  cakes  and  cigarettes  when  we  started  over  — 
in  a  year  which  now  seems  ages  ago ;  next  we  saw  their  familiar  sign  in  a 
rest  camp  in  England,  and  when  we  landed  in  France  they  were  at  the  dock 
with  more  "  smokes  "  and  the  little  things  which  we  learned  to  value  so 
highly  in  an  existence  which  had  returned  to  the  primitive. 

It  was  in  the  Argonne  drive  that  some  one  dubbed  them  "  Casey " — 
those  chaps  who  wore  the  "  K.  of  C."  brassard ;  and  because  they  were 
generally  around  when  one  was  "  smoke-hungry."  The  call  was  taken  up 
by  all  ranks  —  "  Keep  Coming,  Casey."  And  if  we  remember  rightly  — 
and  we  do  —  they  did  keep  coming. 

When  a  chap  was  "  broke  " —  or  maybe  had  a  pay  voucher  in  his  pocket 
which  wasn't  worth  a  sou  because  there  wasn't  a  bank  within  50  kilos,  it 
was  the  men  of  the  "  K.  of  C."  who  furnished  the  little  things  which  we 
now  know  to  be  the  big  things,  when  one  is  out  of  touch  with  civilization. 

One  could  generally  find  a  K.  C.  hut  somewhere  near  the  front ; 
and  if  not  —  why  generally  someone  wearing  their  insignia  found  us.  We 
well  remember  those  long  winter  days  when  we  were  stuck  in  a  demolished 
French  village  on  the  other  side  of  the  Argonne,  when  it  seemed  that 
Spring  would  never  come  and  the  drizzle  would  never  cease. 

There  wasn't  even  a  Bible  to  read  —  some  unregenerate  scamp  months 
before  had  used  the  tissue  pages  of  our  volume  for  cigarette  paper.  But 
came  a  day  when  a  K.  of  C.  man  discovered  we  were  there  —  seemingly, 
"  the  world  forgetting,  by  the  world  forgot." 

And  once  each  week  after  that  he  drove  35  kilos  out  of  his  way  to  drop 
the  papers  and  other  things.  (You  know  what  we  mean  by  the  "other 
things.")  Expect  you  have  a  package  of  them  in  your  pocket  now.  Got 
so  we  could  hear  the  coughing  of  his  broken-backed  Ford  at  least  three 
villages  away.  And  sometimes  an  escort  of  'honor  waded  five  or  six  kilos 
through  the  mud  to  welcome  him. 


More  Fistfuls  of  Friendship  43 

General  Pershing  has  complimented  them  highly.  We  are  glad  of  that. 
We  rather  think  they  deserve  a  few  words.  We  like  those  chaps  of  the 
K.  of  C.  They  have  done  much  to  make  us  feel  at  home  everywhere  we 
have  been  over  here.  And  they've  never  crowded  religion  down  our 
throats  —  though  religious  consolation  was  theirs  for  the  asking.  But  they 
have  handed  out  big  fistfuls  of  friendship  —  and  after  all,  that  is  what 
counts. 

There's  a  line  in  the  Bible  which  we  like  to  apply  to  an  organization 
when  we  try  to  judge  of  the  good  it  is  doing — "  By  their  works  ye  shall 
know  them."  We  know  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  And  we  who  write  these 
lines  are  not  Catholic  either  —  but  Protestant  by  faith,  and  "  shouting " 
Methodist  at  that. 

The  incidents  recorded  in  these  chapters  have  been  selected  at 
random;  they  have  their  value,  not  only  as  the  kind  of  human 
documents  which  are  always  interesting  to  readers  to  whom  noth- 
ing which  concerns  humanity  is  uninteresting ;  but  they  show  the 
effect  of  the  ethics  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  on  character,  and 
character,  as  a  rule,  unconsciously  guides  the  emotions  and  the 
impulses.  The  main  lesson  taught  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
has  no  taint  of  phariseeism.  The  reason  the  men  in  the  ranks  — 
men  who  preferred  a  boxing  bout  to  the  manifestations  of  what 
is  called  the  higher  culture,  but  who  were  no  worse  soldiers  for 
that  —  found  these  secretaries  all  that  they  desired  was  the  sym- 
pathy with  every  sane  manifestation  of  humanity,  that  these  real 
servants  of  the  servants  of  God  showed;  for  every  soldier  who 
served  his  country  with  sincere  heart  was  a  servant  of  God.  If 
religion  expressed  in  the  fewest  words  means  kindliness  to  all  in 
need  of  it,  these  secretaries  were  good  examples  of  it.  They 
pretended  to  be  neither  finer  nor  better  than  anybody  else,  but 
they  showed,  in  every  action,  that  their  main  object  in  life  was  to 
act  on  the  principle  that  benefits  should  be  equal,  and  that  the 
bestowal  of  the  gift  meant  no  sacrifice  on  their  part,  but  was 
simply  a  giving  and  accepting  on  equal  terms.  They  and  the 
goods  they  had  belonged  to  the  men.  When  stores  did  not  arrive, 
the  secretaries  had  nothing  to  give  —  but  this  was  very  seldom. 
When  they  did  arrive  the  soldier  was  made  to  feel  that  he  was 
giving  pleasure  and  not  receiving  a  favor  when  he  took  his 


44       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

"  fistful  of  friendship,"  as  the  Methodist  phrased  it.  By  what 
system,  the  reader  will  ask,  were  these  secretaries  produced  ?  They 
acted  with  one  spirit,  however  different  they  were  in  tempera- 
ment, in  education  and  in  environment.  There  must  have  been 
some  standard,  then,  by  which  their  various  clocks  were  set.  In 
order  to  understand  how  they  were  produced,  how  guided,  how 
made  effective  as  one  man,  we  must  turn  to  the  very  beginning 
of  the  foundation  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  the  plan  by 
which  they  were  formed  through  the  inspirations  of  Christianity 
and  loyalty  working  together,  can  be  easily  comprehended. 


CHAPTER  III 
ORIGIN    OF    THE    ORDER 

BEFORE  going  further  let  us  note  the  causes  of  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  The  position  of 
Catholics  in  the  United  States,  except,  perhaps,  in  Mary- 
land and  Louisiana,  had  been,  down  to  the  middle  of  the  Nine- 
teenth Century,  socially  difficult  and  irritating.  They  were  not 
openly  persecuted,  they  suffered  under  no  legal  disabilities  in 
regard  to  suffrage;  but  there  was  an  undertone  of  disapproval, 
dislike  and  even  hatred,  which  occasionally  found  public  expres- 
sion. In  nearly  every  large  city  of  the  North  there  were  some 
Catholic  families  whose  social  position  was  recognized,  people 
who  were  strongly  influenced  by  the  tradition  of  Carroll  and 
Cheverus,  and  who  took  their  position  in  society  and  held  it  as 
a  matter  of  course  through  their  intelligence  and  good  breeding, 
often  assisted  by  wealth. 

Down  to  the  year  1844,  to  be  a  Catholic  of  the  type,  for 
instance,  of  the  Carrolls  of  Maryland,  of  the  Chouteaus  of  St. 
Louis,  of  the  Couderts  of  New  York,  of  the  Keatings  of  Phila- 
delphia, to  mention  a  very  few  names,  was  not  to  be  considered 
a  foreigner.  There  were  others  of  foreign  extraction,  as  indeed 
all  Americans  are  —  French,  Italian  and  German  —  who  mingled 
on  equal  terms  with  citizens  who  boasted  their  "Anglo-Saxon  " 
origin.  But  in  1844,  Ireland  was  almost  depopulated  by  one  of 
the  most  terrible  scourges  chronicled  in  history,  and  the  United 
States,  with  the  British  colonies,  became  the  refuge  for  these 
exiles,  driven  from  their  country  by  starvation.  They  were 
neither  convicts  nor  undesirable  citizens.  They  were  forced  from 
a  country  they  loved  as  dearly  as  any  Swiss  freeman  ever  loved 
his  country.    They,  too,  had  their  ranz-des-v aches. 

Dean  Swift  once  said  that  the  best  blood  in  Ireland  might  be 
found  among  the  lowliest  people  of  Dublin,  and  this,  perhaps,  was 
the  reason  why  these  Irish  immigrants  had,  in  spite  of  the  terrible 
scars  they  bore,  mentally  and  physically,  from  oppression  and 

[45] 


46       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

starvation,  a  fineness  of  spirit,  a  certain  generosity  of  character, 
a  love  of  freedom  and  a  spiritual  type  of  mind  unusual  in  the  rank 
and  file  of  any  nation.  But  the  fact  that  they  had  been  denied 
in  their  own  country  the  benefits  of  a  higher  education,  and  that 
they  were  forced,  through  lack  of  training,  to  accept  the  most 
menial  positions  when  they  arrived  in  this  country,  made  them 
the  subjects  of  class  disdain,  which  is  always  most  rampant  in 
the  most  democratic  countries.  This  left  them  without  prestige, 
and,  in  a  less  resilient  people,  would  have  destroyed  their  self- 
respect.  The  New  England  farmer,  with  twenty  arid  acres  of 
land,  and  a  limited  knowledge  of  either  books  or  life,  considered 
himself  the  superior  of  men  and  women  who  led  a  greatly  superior 
and  richer  spiritual  life.  An  Irishman,  after  '44,  a  laborer 
"  among  the  alien  corn,"  was  regarded  as  a  strange  curiosity  — 
especially  in  New  England.  To  be  Irish  and  Catholic  was, 
socially,  among  people  who  knew  little  of  history,  and  whose 
immediate  ancestors  still  read  Foxe's  Book  of  Martyrs,  to  be 
slaves  of  some  strange,  occult  power,  and  members  of  an  inferior 
caste. 

The  emigration  from  Germany  was  redeemed,  in  a  measure, 
from  that  reproach  in  the  eyes  of  provincial  Americans,  by  the 
fact  that,  after  1848,  men  like  Karl  Schurz,  driven  from  their 
own  country  by  the  same  spirit  of  Kaiserism  that  had  driven  the 
Irish  from  theirs,  seemed  to  condone  the  apparent  ignorance  and 
stolidity  of  the  later  German  emigrants.  Nevertheless,  to  be 
"  Dutch,"  even  if  the  "  Dutch  "  were  Lutherans,  was  to  be  of  the 
lower  classes  which  hewed  wood  and  drew  water.  The  Catholic 
German  suffered  no  more  than  his  Protestant  compatriot;  but 
although  the  Protestant  "  Dutchman  "  might  be  despised,  he  was 
not  so  hated  as  was  the  Catholic  and  the  Irishman.  The  nation- 
ality of  the  Scotch-Irishman  might  be  forgiven  because  of  the 
hyphenation,  and  because  he  was  either  a  member  of  the  Angli- 
can Church  or  a  dissenter  from  it.  His  Protestantism,  and  his 
assumption  of  superiority,  racial  and  religious,  over  his  Catholic 
compatriots,  made  him  claim  a  brevet  of  nobility  similar  to  that 
which  every  Huguenot,  no  matter  what  his  ancestors  were,  still 
insists  on  blazoning. 


Origin  of  the  Order  47 

Naturally,  in  the  process  of  time,  "  the  best  blood  in  Ireland  " 
began  to  assert  itself  in  the  United  States ;  but,  if  we  choose  to 
regard  the  matter  of  blood  as  an  aristocratic  fiction,  then  the  fine 
qualities  of  the  Irishman,  which  the  best  native-born  Americans 
were  quick  to  recognize  everywhere,  and  the  high  ideals  of 
the  Irishwoman  —  which  have  become  proverbial  — compelled 
acknowledgment.  It  became  necessary,  in  spite  of  the  ignor- 
ance and  bigotry  and  prejudice,  some  of  it  almost  justified  by 
previous  training,  that  Catholics,  under  a  democratic  form  of 
government,  should  so  organize  that  they  would  not  seem  a  class 
apart,  hidden,  as  it  were,  by  a  mist  of  incense,  from  participation 
in  the  aims  of  their  fellow-citizens  of  different  creed.  They  were 
devoted  to  their  religion;  they  were  devoted  to  their  adopted 
country.  There  might  be  grave  danger  to  them  and  the  country 
in  which  they  lived  if  they  allowed  themselves  to  be  segregated 
as  the  English  Catholics  were  by  being  socially  divided.  It  was 
right  and  proper  and  edifying  that  they  should  belong  to  strictly 
religious  societies,  sodalities,  guilds,  assemblies  in  which  they 
joined  for  devotions  or  benevolence,  which  occupied  them  for  a 
few  hours,  but  which  did  not  bind  them  together  either  for 
legitimate  temporal  advantages  or  for  the  increase  of  the  respect 
of  their  fellow-citizens. 

Long  before  1882  it  had  become  evident  that  a  great  Catholic 
society  should  be  formed,  regardless  of  race,  which  might  effec- 
tively perform  the  function  of  showing  to  the  world  that 
intelligent  solidarity,  which  was  the  only  means  to  assert  the 
dignity,  to  conserve  the  rights  and  increase  the  virtue  of  common 
tolerance  and  understanding  in  the  great  body  of  Catholic  Ameri- 
cans, and  to  make  it  plain  that  the  lessons  taught  by  the  life  of 
Columbus  were  as  dear  to  the  Catholic  citizen  as  were  those 
inspired  and  inculcated  by  the  ideals  and  acts  of  George 
Washington. 

Like  all  origins  of  movements  destined  to  grow  powerful,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  which  developed  from  a  local,  we  may 
really  say  from  a  parochial,  into  a  state,  national  and  international 
organization,  came  from  the  mind  of  a  man  who  held  the  key  to 


48       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  thoughts  of  many  men  as  well  as  to  the  tendencies  of  the 
times.  He  had  an  idea,  and  once  this  idea  was  translated  into 
fact  with  the  aid  of  those  whose  ideas  and  experiences  were  one 
with  the  originator's,  the  vista  leading  to  a  great  achievement 
opened  before  these  pioneers,  for  they  saw  that  they  had  been 
privileged  to  conceive  a  movement  which  not  only  met  the  need 
of  the  hour  but  was  destined  to  strengthen  the  course  of  Catholic 
progress  and  to  add  new  life  to  all  that  is  best  in  our  American 
civilization. 

With  most  Americans  who  know  little  of  the  interior  life  of 
Catholics,  the  position  of  a  parish  priest  and  his  assistants  is 
little  understood.  The  old  English  poet  who  said,  "  Let  me  make 
the  songs  of  a  nation  and  I  care  not  who  makes  its  laws,"  had  a 
glimmering,  perhaps,  of  that  special  spiritual  power  which  makes 
the  parish  priest  not  only  the  shepherd  of  his  people,  but  also  the 
first  of  practical  psychologists.  The  words  of  Drummond  of 
Hawthornden  might  be  paraphrased  to  read :  "  Let  me  hear  the 
confessions  of  my  people  and  I  care  not  for  the  outside  influences 
that  may  tend  to  make  them  less  pure  men  or  less  worthy 
citizens." 

When  one  hears  constantly  the  sneers  at  everything  ecclesiasti- 
cal, one  regrets  that  the  scoifers  do  not  take  into  consideration 
the  fact  that  the  main  trend  of  the  education  which  is  called 
ecclesiastical  is  to  intensify  all  the  faculties  of  the  man  until  they 
become  concentrated  entirely  into  the  finest  sympathy  with  and 
acutest  understanding  of  the  needs  of  the  people,  for  whose  serv- 
ice they  are  but  instruments.  The  fact  that  the  priest  has  no 
family  responsibilities  is  the  firmest  base  of  this  intensity.  For 
example,  we  find  no  patriot  more  self-sacrificing,  less  open  to 
personal  consideration,  than  the  priest  when  a  national  crisis  calls 
him  to  act.  The  case  of  Cardinal  Mercier,  not  exceptional,  but 
only  more  prominent,  shows  that  with  the  priest  the  love  of  coun- 
try is  but  an  extension  of  that  quality  of  clear  comprehension,  of 
spiritual  values,  which  is,  in  turn,  merely  an  extension  of  the 
patriotism  of  the  parish  or  of  the  neighborhood  to  the  patriotism 
of  the  nation.    To  understand  this  is  to  know  the  impulse  which 


Origin  of  the  Order  49 

made  many  men  —  shepherds  of  souls  —  ready  to  catch  the 
inspiration  of  the  idea  which  the  founder  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  made  concrete. 

Michael  Joseph  McGivney,  priest  of  the  diocese  of  Hartford, 
Connecticut,  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  New  Haven, 
first  dreamed  the  dream  that  became  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 
A  small  group  of  men,  sturdy  in  faith  and  eager  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  their  fellows,  contributed  towards  the  development  of 
Father  McGivney's  idea,  but  without  the  priest's  enthusiasm  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  would  never  have  assumed  definite  shape 
or  overcome  the  dillficulties  of  its  infancy. 

Young  as  he  was,  being  only  in  his  early  thirties  when  he  first 
had  the  inspiration  to  establish,  in  Connecticut,  a  great  Catholic 
fraternal  order,  Father  McGivney  was  the  first  to  realize,  as  a 
result  of  his  priestly  experience,  the  vital  need  for  a  society  of 
laymen  which  would  unite  the  male  element  of  the  Church 
as  its  strongest  point  —  strengthen  above  all  its  spiritual  aspira- 
tions, and  complete  that  synthesis  between  faith  and  good  works, 
that  combination  of  righteousness  and  the  conduct  of  everyday 
temporal  affairs,  which  must  be,  in  our  world,  the  province  of  true 
religion. 

In  the  Connecticut  of  the  early  eighties  Catholics  were  objects 
of  a  prejudice  that  placed  them  at  a  social  and  economic  disadvan- 
tage. Catholic  was  a  synonym  for  Irish,  and  feeling  was 
strong  against  men  of  Irish  descent.  The  position  of  Catholics 
in  a  democratic  time  when  the  value  of  majorities  was  considered 
as  a  most  important  factor  in  the  management  of  social  life,  was 
far  inferior  to  that  warranted  by  the  size  of  the  Catholic  popula- 
tion. A  firm  barrier  stood  in  the  way  of  Catholic  advancement. 
This  lack  of  prestige  had  its  effect  upon  the  individual  Catholic, 
especially  the  man  in  the  ordinary  walks  of  life.  It  gave  him  a 
sense  of  social  inferiority  when  confronted  with  the  social  advan- 
tages of  men  not  of  his  faith. 

Fraternal  societies  were,  at  this  time,  flourishing  throughout 
the  United  States.  Organizations  which  a  Catholic  could  not  in 
conscience  join  enjoyed  a  large  prosperity.    The  benefits  resulting 


Origin  of  the  Order  51 

this  experiment  afterwards  becoming  incorporators  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  The  Sarsfield  Guard,  captained  by 
Joseph  H.  Keefe  of  New  Haven,  was  composed  of  CathoHc  men 
and  was  a  part  —  Company  C  —  of  the  Second  Regiment,  Con- 
necticut National  Guard.  The  Sarsfield  Guard  had  passed 
through  various  vicissitudes,  notably  the  feeble  surrender  of  Gov- 
ernor Minor  of  Connecticut  to  the  bigots  of  Connecticut,  when 
in  1856  he  ordered  the  disbanding  of  all  Guard  units  composed  of 
Irishmen  and  the  sons  of  Irishmen.  But  for  the  stout-heartedness 
of  Adjutant  General  John  C.  Hollister,  who  refused  to  carry  out 
the  order,  and  resigned  rather  than  sign  it,  the  cause  of  equality 
might  have  gone  down  to  defeat  in  Connecticut.  Hollister's 
courage  strengthened  the  hopes  of  those  American  citizens  who 
seemed  to  be  in  danger  of  the  most  cruel  proscription.  The  Civil 
War  came  and  the  patriotism  of  the  Catholics  and  of  the  Irish 
played  its  legitimate  part.  The  Sarsfield  Guard  was  revived.  It 
became  well  known  for  its  social  entertainments,  and  it  was  at 
one  of  these,  after  a  military  review,  that  James  T.  Mullen,  First 
Orderly  Sergeant  of  the  Guard,  suggested  an  impromptu  initia- 
tion for  Sergeant  F.  P.  Duffy,  who  had  absented  himself  from  his 
companions  to  procure  supplies  for  the  evening's  meeting.  When 
Sergeant  Duffy  returned  to  the  hall  he  was  seized  and  put  through 
a  burlesque  process  of  initiation.  Upon  completion  of  this  he  was 
dubbed  a  "  Red  Knight,"  and  the  Red  Knights  became  an  over- 
night creation.  Their  fame  grew  and  requests  came  from  other 
cities  in  the  State  to  New  Haven  that  branches  of  the  Red 
Knights  be  instituted. 

The  Red  Knights  are  no  more ;  they  were  not,  during  their  brief 
but  entertaining  existence,  an  organization  of  serious  purpose. 
But  the  Red  Knights  served  to  demonstrate  a  truth;  that  an 
organization  meeting  the  desires  of  its  prospective  members  along 
the  established  lines  of  fraternal  benefit  systems  would  gain  atten- 
tion and  members  by  a  repute  for  good,  secret  initiation  exercises. 
It  may  be  urged  that  here  was  proved  the  attraction  of  an  ele- 
mental appeal  to  human  curiosity.  The  human  element  is  natural 
and  so  long  as  the  curiosity  is  not  dishonorable  there  is  merit  in 
utilizing  it  to  guide  its  possessors  to  good. 


52       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Father  McGivney,  at  that  time  an  assistant  in  St.  Mary's  par- 
ish, New  Haven,  had  aided  the  Red  Knights  by  his  priestly  coun- 
sels and  was  acquainted  with  many  of  the  members  of  that 
organization.  Always  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  young 
men,  he  had  organized  the  St.  Joseph's  Total  Abstinence  and 
Benevolent  Society  in  the  parish,  and  acted  as  its  chaplain.  It 
was,  as  an  experiment,  successful;  but  Father  McGivney  was 
keenly  alive  to  the  attractiveness  of  absolutely  oath-bound  asso- 
ciations. He  sometimes  had  the  painful  experience  of  seeing 
young  Catholics  enter  fraternal  societies  either  frowned  upon  or 
actually  forbidden  by  the  Church.  He  realized  keenly  that  some 
Catholic  organization  should  be  created  to  comprise  solid  frater- 
nal benefits  with  the  attractiveness  of  selected  membership  and 
secret  initiation,  and  yet  not  oath-bound  and  only  secret  upon 
promise  of  man  to  man  which  promise  must  ever  yield  to  the 
authority  of  Church  and  of  State. 

He  had  something  definite  in  mind,  for  he  talked  of  such  a 
society  among  the  men  of  the  parish,  and  encouraged  others  to 
talk  about  it.  Sufficient  interest  was  aroused  to  warrant  the 
calling  of  a  meeting  to  discuss  the  project.  An  attempt  had 
been  made  by  Daniel  Colwell  of  New  Haven  to  revive  the  Red 
Knights,  but  little  interest  was  shown.  The  idea  of  a  Cath- 
olic fraternal  and  benevolent  organization,  however,  would  not 
down ;  it  survived  among  the  men  of  New  Haven,  although  it  tem- 
porarily lost  active  promoters.  Father  McGivney  cherished  the 
idea,  and  Bishop  McMahon  encouraged  him  to  originate  a  strong 
lay  organization. 

When  Father  McGivney  heard  of  the  fruitless  attempt  to 
revive  the  Red  Knights  he  saw  in  this  an  opportunity  to  launch  a 
more  substantial  movement.  He  invited  members  of  this  organ- 
ization to  meet  at  the  parish  house  of  St.  Mary's  Church  on 
the  evening  of  January  16,  1882.  Those  in  attendance,  besides 
Father  McGivney,  were  James  T.  Mullen,  Daniel  Colwell,  John 
Tracy,  Michael  Tracy,  William  M.  Geary,  Cornelius  T.  Driscoll, 
John  T.  Kerrigan,  James  T.  McMahon  and  William  H.  Sellwood, 
all  representative  men  of  the  parish.    After  a  lengthy  discussion 


Origin  of  the  Order  53 

it  was  decided  that  Father  McGivney  should  go  to  Boston  to  con- 
sult with  the  executives  of  the  Massachusetts  Catholic  Order  of 
Foresters  regarding  the  practicability  of  instituting  a  Connecticut 
branch  of  that  society. 

Father  McGivney  reported  at  a  meeting  one  week  later  that 
the  Massachusetts  Foresters  were  eager  to  render  every  assist- 
ance for  the  formation  of  a  new  society  in  Connecticut,  but  that 
they  refused  to  institute  a  branch  of  their  own  organization  in 
that  state.  He  stated,  furthermore,  that  the  Catholic  Foresters' 
insurance  feature  was  not  that  desired  by  those  who  hoped  for  a 
new  and  powerful  Catholic  fraternal  society,  as  the  benefits 
offered  by  the  Foresters  were  considered  too  limited.  It  was 
thereupon  unanimously  decided  at  this  meeting  that  a  new  and 
independent  organization  be  formed,  and  a  committee  to  accom- 
plish this  was  appointed,  Father  McGivney,  James  T.  Mullen, 
John  T.  Kerrigan  and  J.  T.  McMahon  being  its  members.  The 
name  tentatively  chosen  for  the  new  society  was  the  Connecticut 
Order  of  Foresters.  Frequent  meetings  were  held,  all  under 
Father  McGivney's  moderation.  The  situation  was  thoroughly 
discussed,  from  every  conceivable  viewpoint.  It  was  at  length 
adjudged  that  the  name  Catholic  Foresters  was  unsuitable,  and 
bound  to  lead  to  confusion  with  the  Massachusetts  order.  The 
aim  was  to  attain  a  field  of  fraternal  endeavor  higher  than  any 
before  achieved  and  to  avail  themselves  of  the  commendable 
features  of  the  best  fraternal  benefit  organizations  in  the  country. 

Definite  progress  was  made  with  the  formation  of  a  committee 
on  constitution  to  draft  fundamental  laws  and  rules. 

It  was  decided,  at  the  next  conference  called  by  Father  McGiv- 
ney, that  before  the  parishes  of  the  diocese  could  be  circularized 
in  the  interest  of  the  new  movement  a  plan  of  insurance  must  be 
formulated.  The  per  capita  scheme  of  insurance,  then  common 
among  fraternal  bodies,  was  adopted.  By  this  system,  when  a 
member  dies  a  per  capita  tax  is  levied  on  surviving  members  and 
the  sum  collected  delivered  to  beneficiaries.  An  investigating 
committee  was  appointed  to  look  into  the  claims  of  those  applying 
for  membership  in  the  new  society,  and  this  committee  laid  dowm 
5 


54       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

rigidly  the  rule  that  all  candidates  must  undergo  a  scrupulous 
medical  examination.  This  strict  provision  limited  vitally  the 
organization's  numbers  in  those  first  days  of  growth,  but  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  present  efficiency  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
insurance  system. 

At  the  third  conference,  Father  McGivney  proposed  the  name 
"  Sons  of  Columbus,"  which  he  held  to  represent  the  character  of 
the  new  society  as  a  Catholic  Columbian  organization.  Mr.  Mul- 
len suggested  that  the  word  "  Knights "  be  substituted  for 
"  Sons."  This  carried,  the  name  "  Knights  of  Columbus  "  then 
coming  into  being.  It  was  decided  that  a  ceremonial  should  be 
written  in  three  sections  or  degrees,  the  basis  of  the  present  first 
three  degrees  of  the  Order.  Father  McGivney  undertook  to  pre- 
sent this  ceremonial,  when  completed,  to  Bishop  McMahon  for 
his  approval.  Daniel  Colwell  was  appointed  to  prepare  the  neces- 
sary petition  for  charter  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut. 
This  was  promptly  done,  the  passage  of  the  measure  incorporat- 
ing the  Knights  of  Columbus  being  aided  materially  by  the  Hon- 
orable C.  T.  Driscoll,  one  of  the  petitioners,  then  representing 
New  Haven  in  the  General  Assembly,  and  by  the  Honorable 
H.  P.  Hotchkiss,  Mr.  Driscoll's  associate  in  the  House,  and  the 
Honorable  A.  E.  Robertson,  representing  New  Haven  in  the  State 
Senate.  The  petition  was  speedily  granted,  and  the  charter 
formally  issued  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  which  became  the 
first  national  fraternal  organization  to  be  incorporated  in  Con- 
necticut, on  March  29,  1882.  The  following  are  the  original 
incorporators:  Michael  J.  McGivney,  Matthew  C.  O'Connor, 
Cornelius  T.  Driscoll,  James  T.  Mullen,  John  T.  Kerrigan,  Daniel 
Colwell  and  William  M.  Geary. 

The  task  of  organizing  the  first  council  of  the  new  society  was 
then  undertaken.  Father  McGivney  presided  at  the  confer- 
ences, and  on  April  3,  1882,  the  Committee  of  Investigation 
reported  favorably  upon  eleven  applicants,  and  Smith's  Hall  on 
Chapel  Street,  New  Haven,  was  secured  as  a  meeting  place  for 
the  Order.  The  first  election  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was 
held  in  this  hall  on  April  6,  1882,  when  the  following  temporary 


Origin  of  the  Order  55 

officers  were  chosen:  President,  James  T.  Mullen;  Vice-Presi- 
dent, John  T.  Kerrigan;  Corresponding  Secretary,  the  Reverend 
Michael  J.  McGivney;  Recording  Secretary,  William  H.  Sell- 
wood;  Financial  Secretary,  James  T.  McMahon;  Treasurer, 
Michael  Curran;  Advocate,  C.  T.  Driscoll;  Medical  Examiner, 
M.  C.  O'Connor,  M.  D.;  Chaplain,  the  Reverend  P.  P.  Lawlor; 
Lecturer,  Daniel  Colwell,  and  Warden,  John  F.  Moore. 

From  the  very  beginning  was  made  manifest  the  conservatism 
that  has  been  the  Order's  unfailing  safeguard.  Inundated  with 
applications  from  all  parts  of  New  Haven,  the  Committee  of 
Investigation  was  loath  to  increase  the  membership,  wishing  to 
have  a  charter  list  readily  manageable  from  the  outset. 

Work  on  the  proposed  ritual  and  constitution  had  progressed, 
and  it  was  wisely  decided  that  no  system  should  be  hurriedly 
adopted,  but  that  all  available  rituals  and  constitutions  should  be 
studied,  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus  initiatory  exercises  and 
fundamental  laws  be  modelled  after  the  best  so  that  there  should 
be  no  feature  even  in  the  slightest  way  objectionable  to  ecclesias- 
tical authority.  It  was  further  decided  that  only  Catholic  and 
American  allusions  should  be  used  in  the  ritual,  that  the  ritual 
should  be  divided  into  three  degrees,  and  that  the  several  parts 
should  be  so  arranged  that  the  leading  officers  of  subordinate 
branches  of  the  society  should  have  a  part  in  its  exemplification, 
and  also  that  the  ritual  should  comprise  appropriate  ceremonies 
for  instituting  new  branches,  with  installation  ceremonials  for 
new  officers.  To  Mr.  Colwell  was  assigned  the  task  of  arranging 
this  ritual.  In  conjunction  with  Mr.  Mullen  and  with  the  con- 
stant advice  of  Father  McGivney,  the  work  was  completed. 

The  new  society's  constitution  presented  a  harder  ^problem. 
Father  McGivney,  with  Messrs.  Mullen,  Geary  and  Kerrigan, 
collaborated  on  it,  and,  pending  its  completion,  Cushing's  Manual 
was  the  vade  mecum  of  the  Order  in  its  formal  business  pro- 
cedure. After  several  months  of  research  the  constitution  was 
completed;  but  its  publication  was  postponed  until  the  society 
found  funds  sufficient  for  this  purpose  in  1883. 


56       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

On  May  16,  1882,  exactly  four  months  after  the  first  meeting 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  when  Father  McGivney  had 
launched  his  idea  for  the  new  fraternity,  the  election  of  the  first 
Supreme  Council  was  held,  the  officers  being  those  chosen  at  the 
temporary  election  some  weeks  before,  with  the  exception  of 
William  H.  Sellwood.  Immediately  following  the  creation  of 
the  Supreme  Council,  which,  according  to  the  resolution  then 
passed,  was  to  be  the  "  authoritative  body  of  the  Order,"  there 
was  held  the  election  of  the  first  subordinate  council,  named  then, 
and  still  named,  San  Salvador  No.  1  of  New  Haven.  The  roster 
of  officers,  whose  official  titles  have  always  been  preserved 
unchanged,  ran:  Grand  Knight,  C.  T.  DriscoU,  a  graduate  of 
Yale  University  and  former  Mayor  of  New  Haven;  Deputy 
Grand  Knight,  Henry  S.  Kenny;  Chaplain,  the  Reverend  M.  J. 
McGivney;  Recording  Secretary,  John  F.  O'Brien;  Financial 
Secretary,  James  T.  McMahon ;  Treasurer,  Michael  Curran ;  Lec- 
turer, Daniel  Colwell;  Medical  Examiner,  Dr.  M.  C.  O'Connor, 
and  Warden,  John  F.  Moore. 

On  June  15th  of  the  same  year  Father  McGivney  read  the  pro- 
posed Constitution  at  a  full  meeting  of  the  Order,  which  unani- 
mously adopted  it.  Then  was  made  the  first  line  of  demarkation 
between  the  Supreme  Council  and  the  subordinate  council,  setting 
the  precedent  that  has  ruled  ever  since. 

Amid  all  this  flurry  of  organization,  of  active  and  chiefly  oral 
propaganda  among  the  Catholic  men  of  New  Haven,  and  especi- 
ally among  those  of  St.  Mary's  parish,  the  question  of  state- 
wide growth  had  been  gravely  considered.  Before  even  the  first 
council  had  been  inaugurated,  Father  McGivney  published  a 
digest  of  the  aims  of  the  Order  with  the  view  of  promoting  its 
growth  once  ecclesiastical  approval  had  been  obtained.  In  a 
comprehensive  circular,  heralding  what  he  termed  one  of  the 
most  important  events  in  the  annals  of  American  Catholicity, 
he  set  forth  the  hopes  and  claims  of  the  new  organization.  This 
was  the  first  official  document  to  be  issued  by  the  Knights  of 
Columbus.  Applications  from  Catholic  men  within  and  without 
New   Haven  increased,  the  surprising  progress  within  a   few 


Origin  of  the  Order  57 

short  months  from  a  mooted  proposition  to  an  estabHshed  fact 
proving  the  need  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

To  concentrate  executive  power  there  was  formed  a  Supreme 
Committee  of  the  Supreme  Council.  This  Supreme  Committee 
was  the  original  of  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  It  was  composed  of  the  elective  officers 
of  the  Supreme  Council,  and  in  it  was  vested  all  executive 
authority.  Its  powers  were  plenary,  excepting  in  the  matter  of 
amendments  to  the  Constitution  —  exactly  as  are  the  present 
powders  of  the  Supreme  Board.  To  this  Committee  was  given 
the  sole  power  to  grant  charters  and  organize  subordinate 
councils. 

It  was  necessary  to  complete  the  Order's  ritual  before  any 
attempt  could  be  made  to  initiate  accepted  applicants  residing  out- 
side of  New  Haven,  for  this  ritual  was  designed  to  add  the  attrac- 
tion possessed  by  the  so-called  secret  societies  (but  without  their 
danger)  to  the  other  benefits  offered  by  the  Knights. 

Of  course,  the  Order  adopted  no  ritual  until  the  approval  of 
Bishop  McMahon  had  been  obtained.  Many  difficulties  had  to 
be  overcome.  During  the  controversy  over  the  powers  of  the 
Supreme  Council  there  were  frequent  threatenings  of  dissolu- 
tion. There  were  those  not  of  the  Order  who  thought  that 
Father  McGivney,  the  humble  curate,  had  exceeded  the  functions 
of  his  rank  in  fathering  so  large  and,  from  the  experience  of  the 
Church,  so  hazardous  a  movement  as  a  great  lay  organization. 
It  had  even  been  prophesied  that  the  Bishop  would  quench  the 
fires  of  ambition,  and  gently  but  firmly  dissuade  Father  McGivney 
and  his  associates  from  further  effort. 

The  Order's  ritual  was  completed  on  July  7,  1883,  and  was 
promptly  accepted  by  the  Supreme  Council  subject  to  the  Bishop's 
approval.  With  other  Supreme  Officers,  Father  McGivney  laid 
the  entire  ritual  before  Bishop  McMahon,  who  examined  it  care- 
fully. He  pronounced  it  exceedingly  interesting,  giving  special 
praise  to  the  third  section,  now  the  third  degree.  "  I  have  fol- 
lowed the  wording  and  explanation  of  this  ritual  closely,"  he  said. 
"  I  cannot  detect  anything  amiss  or  improper.     You  need  no 


58       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

further  ruling  than  this.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  it  will  be  a 
valuable  medium  for  carrying  sound  moral  principles  to  your 
members;  that  it  will  be  the  means  of  attracting  many  to  your 
organization.  I  do  not  see  why  you  should  not  go  on  without 
let  or  hindrance  from  anyone." 

Here  was  victory  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus!  This  whole- 
souled  approval,  this  instant  display  of  favor  from  the  Bishop, 
was  a  guarantee  of  fitness  for  success.  His  Lordship  blessed 
the  Order,  and  the  pioneers  of  Columbianism  left  his  presence 
rejoicing  in  the  blessing  of  the  Church  on  their  enterprise. 
Bishop  McMahon  further  evidenced  his  interest  in  the  most  prac- 
tical way  by  becoming  a  charter  member  of  Green  Cross  Council 
when  it  was  instituted  in  Hartford«the  year  following.  He  was 
the  first  bishop  to  enter  the  Order,  and  his  espousal  of  the  cause 
gave  strength  to  the  new  organization,  playing  a  vital  part  in 
its  early  growth;  for  even  with  the  Bishop  among  its  members, 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  still  had  opponents  within  the  Catholic 
fold  whose  opinions  carried  weight  —  for  many  were  fearful 
that  the  new  Order  might  become  other  than  a  blessing  to  the 
Church;  they  questioned  its  necessity,  they  questioned  the  sin- 
cerity of  some  of  its  organizers,  suspecting  that  it  might  be  used 
politically.  As  the  Order  advanced,  members  of  the  hierarchy 
not  only  encouraged  its  growth  by  favorable  opinion,  but  by 
joining  the  Order  and  by  active  association  with  its  work.  Now, 
practically,  every  archbishop  and  bishop  in  the  United  States 
is  a  member,  and  the  two  cardinals  are  its  strongest  supporters. 

While  all  was  not  harmony  without  the  Order,  sound  organi- 
zation 'guaranteed  effective  work  within.  Applications  for 
charters  commenced  to  be  filed  with  promising  regularity. 
Councils  were  instituted  at  Meriden,  Wallingford  and  Crom- 
well, and  the  cities  around  New  Haven  applied  in  rapid  suc- 
cession for  admission.  It  was  generally  realized  in  Connec- 
ticut that  at  last  a  society  had  sprung  up  that  could  offer  the 
things  powerfully  attractive  in  non-Catholic  societies.  Gradu- 
ally, through  dint  of  hard,  honest  work,  the  impression  gained 
ground  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  all  that  its  prospectus 


Origin  of  the  Order  59 

claimed,  and  when  the  clergy  began  to  apply  for  membership 
as  quickly,  in  numerical  proportion,  as  the  laity,  it  was  felt  that 
recognition  had  been  secured  and  growth  assured.  With  wise 
government  the  Order  was  destined  for  a  career  of  patriotic 
usefulness. 


CHAPTER  IV 

INTERSTATE  GROWTH 

THE  advance  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  beyond  the 
borders  of  Connecticut  was  merely  a  matter  of  time.  It 
occurred  as  the  result  of  an  accident.  In  the  year  1885 
arrangements  had  been  made  to  institute  a  council  in  Stonington, 
on  the  Rhode  Island  border  of  Connecticut,  opposite  the  town  of 
Westerly.  The  hall  in  which  the  initiation  was  to  be  held  caught 
fire,  so  the  ceremonies  were  transferred  to  the  Rhode  Island 
town.  The  Catholic  men  of  Rhode  Island,  their  curiosity  excited 
by  reports  concerning  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  eagerly  pro- 
ceeded to  state  their  qualifications  for  membership.  Before  long, 
the  first  council  was  instituted  beyond  the  confines  of  Connec- 
ticut, which  contained  seventeen  flourishing  units  of  the  Order, 
at  Westerly,  R.  I. 

With  this  interstate  growth,  a  vista  wider  than  ever  opened 
out  before  the  young  society.  Had  its  development  then  been 
in  hands  less  capable  of  controlling  the  action  of  the  new 
machinery,  the  Order  might  have  suffered  in  the  direction  of 
too  rapid  and  ill-considered  expansion.  But  the  standard  of 
membership  was  maintained  strictly.  Applications  were  rigidly 
examined.  The  requirements  for  admission  were  considered 
unusually  high ;  so  high,  indeed,  that  there  was  no  reproach  what- 
ever on  the  candidate  who  happened  to  be  rejected.  There  could 
be  no  doubt  that  many  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  business  of 
selling  spirituous  liquors  were  of  good  character  and  conscien- 
tious in  their  dealings.  In  the  beginning,  this  was  taken  into 
consideration ;  but  as  time  went  on  and  the  evil  of  the  saloon  — 
even  under  careful  management  —  was  more  and  more  con- 
demned by  public  opinion,  men  engaged  in  any  branch  of 
the  sale  or  manufacture  of  intoxicating  beverages  were  con- 
sidered to  be  disqualified  and  excluded  from  the  Order.  By 
this  the  Order  gave  force  to  a  recommendation  of  the  Third 
Plenary    Council    of    Baltimore    urging    Catholics    to    abstain 

[60] 


Interstate  Growth  61 

from  traffic  in  liquor.  Another  qualification  which  raised 
the  standard  of  the  Order  —  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  this 
was  an  unusual  qualification  in  a  society  which  had  a  secular 
as  well  as  a  spiritual  tendency  —  was  that  each  member  should 
be  a  practical  Catholic.  Now  this  term,  "  practical  Catholic,"  is 
a  translation  of  the  French  "  pratiquant ,"  and  not  very  well 
understood  by  our  non-Catholic  brethren.  One  recalls  the  bewil- 
derment of  a  President  of  the  United  States  who  wanted  to  know 
whether  a  practical  Catholic  was  not  a  man  who  paid  his  pew- 
rent  regularly.  That  it  had  another  meaning  —  that  it  meant 
that  a  baptized  Catholic  must  go  to  Confession  and  receive  Holy 
Communion  at  a  stated  time  during  the  year  was  not  understood 
except  by  Catholics  themselves.  This,  of  course,  meant  that  the 
candidate  should  not  only  avow  his  adhesion  to  the  discipline  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  but  so  act  in  his  daily  life  that  the  spiritual 
progress,  which  is  expected  of  all  Christians,  should  not  cease. 

The  Catholic  press,  which  had  from  the  first  taken  a  casual 
interest  in  the  new  society,  began  to  comment  upon  the  practical 
Catholicity  of  the  members,  and  news  concerning  the  activities  of 
the  pioneer  councils  gradually  found  its  way  into  the  public  prints. 
A  badge,  or  button,  was  devised,  the  pattern  being  a  Maltese  cross, 
points  up,  with  a  shield,  anchor,  sword  and  fasces,  the  colors 
being  red,  white  and  blue.  Each  new  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  constituted  himself  a  missionary,  and  council  chap- 
lains were  especially  zealous  in  promoting  the  Order,  expound- 
ing from  their  pulpits  the  desirability  of  membership  in  the  new 
organization  as  a  means  of  consolidating  Catholic  manhood  into 
a  social  force.  It  had  been  a  dream  of  the  leading  prelates  of  the 
Catholic  Church  in  America  that  the  priest  should  be  more  of  a 
layman  and  the  layman  more  of  a  priest,  and  the  Order,  mingling 
both  elements  in  common  sympathies  and  in  a  common  cause,  had 
begun  to  realize  the  dream. 

From  New  Haven  the  Order,  by  the  early  Spring  of  1892, 
spread  to  more  than  sixty  cities  and  towns  of  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island.  The  membership  exceeded  the  six  thousand  mark, 
and  the  Order's  existence  as  a  factor  in  American  life  was  well 


62       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

established.  Growth  was  slow,  but  consciously  slow.  No  attempt 
was  made  to  increase  it  by  aggressive  drives.  In  those  days  the 
drive,  which  has  become  an  accepted,  indeed,  a  necessary  method 
of  large-scale  activity,  was  unknown.  The  Knights  of  Columbus 
system  of  propaganda  was  to  hold  a  meeting  of  Catholic  men 
of  a  town  or  locality  and  explain  to  them  the  meaning,  laws  and 
manner  of  institution  and  Constitution  of  the  Order  and  its  sub- 
ordinate councils.  This  propaganda  proved  more  effective  than 
ostentatious  demonstration.  Prejudice  against  the  Order  as  an 
innovation  was  still  considerable,  but  some  of  those  who  most 
strongly  combated  the  new  movement  were  clergymen  who  after- 
wards became  its  loyal  supporters,  because  the  roots  of  their 
objections  were  usually  a  commendable  scrupulousness.  Many 
of  them  entertained  serious  doubts  as  to  the  propriety  of  a  secret 
ritual  being  the  exclusive  property  of  a  Catholic  organization.  So 
inherently  strong  is  the  Catholic  attitude  against  secret  societies, 
a  strength  that  is  the  growth  of  centuries  of  conflict  during  which 
the  Church  felt  obliged  to  suppress  dangerous  conspiracies  which 
wrested  Christian  symbols  from  their  legitimate  use,  that  it  was 
difficult  for  many  to  believe  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  could 
escape  classification  as  a  secret  society  when  its  initiation  exer- 
cises were  of  a  secret  nature,  even  though  not  oath-bound. 

Even  today  there  are  intelligent  Catholics  who  are  diffident  in 
approving  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  who  demand  that  a 
Catholic  organization  should  have  no  part  of  its  inward  or  out- 
ward life  hidden  from  the  world.  All  who  have  held  this  opinion 
and  subsequently  joined  the  Knights  of  Columbus  agree  that 
their  previous  judgment,  while  not  malicious,  was,  at  least, 
gravely  erroneous.  Another  objection  was  also  urged  against 
the  Knights  —  that  societies  of  this  kind,  whether  Catholic  or 
Protestant,  were  contrary  to  those  principles  which  were  the 
very  foundation  of  Christianity  —  that  we  should  love  our 
neighbors  as  ourselves  and  make  no  little  divisions  which  might 
seem  to  rend  the  garment  of  Christ.  This  objection,  curiously 
enough,  had  been  made  by  the  superficial  against  the  formation 
of  all  religious  fraternities  and  sodalities.  These,  it  was  argued, 
were  contrarv  to  the  democratic  constitution  of  the  Church. 


Interstate  Growth  63 

But  while  today,  or  during  the  past  decade,  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  have  been  able  to  smile  charitably  at  their  fellow- 
Catholics  who  registered  these  objections,  in  the  pioneer  days  of 
the  late  '80s  and  early  '90s,  these  objections  were  a  source  of 
anxiety;  for,  although  the  Knights  enjoyed  the  indorsements  of 
many  members  of  the  clergy,  and  while  they  had  the  blessing 
of  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese  in  which  the  Order  originated,  yet 
these  indorsements  could  not  be  capitalized,  and,  of  course,  the 
Bishop's  blessing  had  a  high  complimentary  value,  but  no  author- 
ity outside  his  diocese.  Much  delay  was  experienced  in  the  insti- 
tution of  councils  in  dioceses  where  full  ecclesiastical  investi- 
gation was  required  before  permission  was  granted  to  the  Knights 
to  establish  themselves.  To  expedite  the  processes  of  investiga- 
tion, and  also  to  provide  the  Order  with  what  might  be  termed 
a  national  patent  of  extension,  the  entire  plan  of  organization, 
the  Constitution,  laws  and  ritual,  were  laid  before  Archbishop 
Satolli,  Apostolic  Delegate  from  the  Holy  See  to  the  Catholic 
Church  in  the  United  States.  Archbishop  Satolli,  after  a  careful 
examination  of  the  matters  submitted  to  him,  gave  his  blessing 
to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  thus  publicly  approved  of  the 
Order's  existence.  This  blessing  of  the  Apostolic  Delegate,  being 
expressed  in  writing,  was  a  most  valuable  credential.  It  served 
to  settle  doubts  in  the  minds  of  scores  of  pastors  who  were  eager 
to  aid  the  Knights  to  advance. 

It  is  probable  that  had  the  Knights  obtained  so  cordial  an 
indorsement  some  years  earlier,  when  they  were  still  groping  in 
their  dawn,  their  early  growth  would  have  been  much  more  sub- 
stantial. Yet  it  is  well  that  the  pioneers  were  tested  in  their 
loyalty  to  the  Order.  During  these  frequent  tests  they  learned 
some  of  the  weaknesses  unavoidable  in  new  organizations,  and 
they  profited  by  this  knowledge.  Perhaps  this  profit  is  expressed 
in  the  one  term  that  best  fits  the  essential  nature  of  Columbianism 
as  a  social  force  - —  progressive  conservatism. 

Before  the  receipt  of  the  historic  indorsement  of  the  Apostolic 
Delegate,  good  headway  had  been  made  in  the  interstate  organi- 
zation of  the  Order.    Its  first  strength  still  reposed  in  its  native 


64       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

state,  and  there  the  Order,  for  the  years  ending  in  the  '80s,  and 
for  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  the  '90s,  found  its  most 
frequent  additions  in  council  units.  From  New  Haven  it  had 
gone  to  Meriden,  thence  to  Middletown,  Wallingford,  Cromwell, 
Portland,  Branford,  Hartford.  In  fact,  of  the  first  fifty  councils 
forty-eight  were  established  in  Connecticut. 

By  1893  Rhode  Island  became  a  state  jurisdiction,  the  consti- 
tutional requirement  being  three  separate  subordinate  councils, 
with  an  aggregate  membership  of  400.  Three  councils  were 
operating  in  Providence  and  there  were  councils  in  Westerly, 
Pawtucket  and  other  towns.  Inquiries  had  been  received  from 
Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Maine  and  the  Province  of 
Quebec  concerning  the  possibility  of  receiving  the  Order.  Noth- 
ing definite  was  done,  although  the  prospect  of  entering  Quebec, 
meaning  internationalization,  was  attractive.  The  steady,  work- 
manlike progress  of  the  organization  in  the  two  states  where  it 
was  already  well  established,  served  to  make  those  Catholics  in 
neighboring  states,  who  realized  the  good  effects  the  Order  could 
achieve  in  their  communities,  eager  to  give  their  adhesion  to 
Columbianism. 

There  was  one  gauge  of  the  Order's  temporal  efficiency  — 
its  insurance  strength.  While  the  insurance  feature,  as  Supreme 
Knight  Phelan,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Mullen,  after  the  latter 's 
second  accession  to  office  following  a  temporary  withdrawal, 
pointed  out  in  more  than  one  report  to  national  conventions,  was 
not  the  motive  for  the  Order's  existence,  apart  from  its  spiritual 
influence;  yet  it  was  the  phase  of  the  Order's  activities  subjected 
to  supervision  by  the  civil  law.  When,  in  those  states  where  the 
Order  operated,  insurance  commissioners  continuously  gave  the 
Knights  strong  rating  in  the  list  of  fraternal  benefit  societies,  it 
was  accepted  as  convincing  evidence  that  the  Order,  on  its  secular 
side,  was  founded  on  sound  business  principles.  It  early  gained 
enviable  repute  for  the  promptness  with  which  it  paid  benefici- 
aries of  deceased  members.  The  sick  benefit  feature  of  the 
Order,  operated  through  individual  councils,  was  then  an  added 
source  of  attraction.    In  the  fiscal  year  1891-2,  the  Knights  of 


A  1^ 


THE  KKIOHT^    OF  COIilLlMBllS  IM  MEACE . AMD '^^^^2^3^ 


Interstate  Growth  65 

Columbus  through  its  sixty-three  councils  spent  $25,526.37  for 
sick  benefits.  The  year  had  been  marked  by  an  influenza 
epidemic ;  but  the  young  society  sustained  with  ease  the  abnormal 
demand  upon  its  resources.  That  year  served  to  demonstrate 
the  Order's  strength  as  a  benevolent  society. 

By  1893  there  was  an  emphatic  trend  among  the  membership 
towards  increased  religious  and  social  activity.  Supreme  Knight 
Phelan,  in  those  days,  never  missed  an  opportunity  when 
addressing  the  Board  of  Government  (the  term  applied  to  the 
Convention  of  the  Councils,  whose  personnel  consisted  of  the 
Grand  Knight  and  last  living  Past-Grand  Knight  of  each  council, 
and  which  later  became  definitely  known  as  the  National  and  then 
the  Supreme  Council),  to  urge  the  need  for  constant  thought 
concerning  the  cultural  labors  to  which  the  Order  was  committed. 
The  material  elements  —  the  insurance  and  the  then  operating 
sick  benefit  features  —  were  merely  a  part  of  the  Order's  final 
purposes. 

As  an  evidence  of  good  faith  in  the  matter  of  cultural  work, 
the  Supreme  Knight,  at  the  eleventh  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Government,  in  June,  1892,  recommended  the  admission  of  asso- 
ciate, or  non-insurance  members.  This  was  a  radical  move,  and 
one  destined  to  greatly  enhance  the  Order's  power.  At  first  it 
was  intended  that  these  associate  members  should  be  persons 
whose  "  age,  health  or  calling  precluded  them  from  admission 
as  ordinary,  active  members ;  "  but  this  limitation  of  associate 
membership,  hardly  less  strict  than  the  requirements  for  insur- 
ance membership,  has,  by  degrees,  been  modified.  The  Board  of 
Government's  speedy  adoption  of  the  Supreme  Knight's  recom- 
mendation showed  how  the  sympathies  of  the  Order  stood.  The 
associate  members  could  not  be  attracted  by  insurance  benefits  — 
although  later  when  the  eligibility  of  associates  was  conditioned 
upon  a  broader  basis  they  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  transfer  from 
one  class  to  another ;  but  they  were  attracted  by  the  sterling  reli- 
gious character  of  the  first  few  thousand  members  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.  They  saw  and  read  how  these  men  attended  Holy 
Communion  in  a  unit  of  council  membership  on  certain  Holy 


66       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Days ;  they  witnessed  the  awakened  social  usefulness  of  men  who 
joined  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  they  had  a  singular  evi- 
dence, in  those  early  days,  of  the  prominent  part  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  could  play  in  public  and  patriotic  matters. 

For  in  the  year  1892  the  most  striking  celebration  of  the  four 
hundredth  anniversary  of  Columbus'  Discovery  of  America  was 
that  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Knights  in  New  Haven,  on 
October  12th,  participation  in  which  had  been  ratified  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Government  in  the  preceding  June.  It 
was  the  first  large  public  celebration  ever  held  by  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.  In  it  over  4,000  Knights,  more  than  two-thirds  of 
the  Order's  total  membership,  participated.  Mass  was  cele- 
brated, Communion  received,  and  a  picturesque  parade  marched 
through  the  streets  of  New  Haven,  terminating  with  patriotic 
exercises.  The  Bishop  of  Hartford  was  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  celebration,  and  perhaps  the  first  oration  with  the  aims  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  as  its  theme  was  delivered  on  this  occasion 
by  the  Reverend  W.  J.  Maher,  D.  D.,  Chancellor  of  the  Diocese 
of  Hartford.  Clergy  from  all  parts  of  the  diocese  were  present 
—  the  affair  was  unquestionably  of  great  local  importance.  The 
newspapers  of  the  state,  and  especially  of  New  Haven,  gave  gen- 
erous space  and  warm  editorial  praise  to  the  public  spirit  of  the 
Knights  in  conducting  the  celebration  so  admirably.  This  cele- 
bration had  naturally  a  reflex  action  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 
"  Two  features  of  the  parade,"  said  The  Palladium,  "  were  enti- 
tled to  special  recognition.  These  were  the  Knights  themselves 
and  the  throngs  of  spectators,  wives,  sisters  and  sweethearts, 
more  immediately  interested  in  them.  A  more  manly  body  of 
men  never  marched  in  our  state  .  .  .  the  bone  and  sinew,  the 
intelligent  and  respected  young  Irish-American  manhood.  .  .  . 
The  purely  American  character  of  the  celebration  was  note- 
worthy." 

That  is  the  note  the  Knights  of  Columbus  struck  at  the  moment 
of  their  inception,  "  purely  American."  It  was  most  gratifying 
to  have  it  thus  recognized  by  a  journal  of  such  importance. 


Interstate  Growth  67 

An  amusing  evidence  of  the  partisan  nature  of  the  press  of 
those  days  is  instanced  by  editorial  comment  from  the  same  news- 
paper, in  which  it  strove  to  demonstrate  that  this  parade  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  "  proved  the  virtues  of  free  press,  free 
schools,  free  thought  and  free  manhood,"  and  also  the  unques- 
tionable vice  of  "  free  trade."  •  "  Only  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
and  on  American  soil,"  ran  the  editorial,  "  is  a  procession  like 
that  of  yesterday  possible.  But  with  all  our  free  institutions  of 
every  kind,  this  splendid  pageant  could  never  have  been  had,  had 
the  United  States  been  a  free  trade  nation  like  Great  Britain." 
The  editor,  it  must  be  stated  in  fairness  to  the  friends  of  free 
trade,  was  too  immersed  in  professional  labors  to  demonstrate 
his  case. 

This  event,  and  others  similar,  such  as  the  Columbus  quadri- 
centennial  celebration  in  Boston,  brought  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus to  the  fore  as  an  organization  essentially  patriotic.  It  was 
the  first  of  a  continuous  series  of  celebrations  which,  maintained 
to  this  day  whenever  suitable  occasion  arises,  have  given  the 
Knights  a  distinctive  character  in  the  eyes  of  the  general  public. 
When  any  great  patriotic  celebration  is  now  held,  the  fact  that 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  are  identified  with  it  is  assumed  by 
journalists  who  record  the  event.  No  mistake  can  be  more  short- 
sighted than  to  assume  that  this  public  practice  of  patriotism  is 
lacking  in  solid  results.  It  is  all  a  part  of  the  great  human  lesson 
which  the  Catholic  Church  is  ever  manifesting:  that  outer  forms 
are  the  most  necessary  symbols  of  inner  meanings. 

Previous  to  this  celebration  a  vital  step  had  been  taken  in  the 
extension  of  the  Order.  In  the  years  1891-2  entry  had  been 
effected  into  New  York  and  Massachusetts.  The  entry  into  the 
latter  state  was,  considering  the  importance  of  its  Catholic  popu- 
lation, a  guarantee  of  rapid  and  substantial  growth.  The  inva- 
sion of  New  York  state,  while  at  first  not  so  significant  as  that 
of  Massachusetts,  yet  imparted  a  prestige  to  the  Order  that  facili- 
tated growth  in  other  states. 

At  a  ball  given  by  Tyler  Council  of  Providence,  Supreme 
Knight  Phelan  and  General  Secretary  Colwell  were  present,  as 


68       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

were  three  gentlemen  from  Boston  —  James  H.  Conley,  Edward 
W.  Dunn  and  Thomas  Dunlon.  The  men  from  Boston  were 
nnpressed  with  the  proceedings,  and  especially  with  the  high  type 
of  men  they  met.  At  their  request  the  Supreme  Officers 
explained,  in  detail,  the  Order's  Constitution  and  objects,  and  the 
Bostonians  undertook  to  act  as  missionaries  in  their  home  city. 
Later,  the  Supreme  Knight  and  General  Secretary  visited 
Boston  and  there  met  representative  Catholic  citizens,  one  of 
whom  was  Hon.  James  E.  Hayes,  later  Supreme  Knight. 
Organization  of  Bunker  Hill  Council  immediately  began. 
Thomas  Harrison  Cummings,  a  well-known  Catholic  lecturer,  who 
had  shown  a  marked  interest  in  the  Order,  became  a  charter 
member  of  the  Council,  which  could  hardly  have  received  a  more 
patriotically  significant  name.  Mr.  Cummings  was  later  elected 
National  Organizer,  an  office  in  which  his  talents  as  a  lecturer 
aided  the  extension  of  the  Order  beyond  the  expectations  of  those 
who  incorporated  it.  James  H.  Conley  headed  the  new  council 
as  Grand  Knight,  being  installed  on  April  10,  1892.  James  E. 
Hayes  was  elected  Deputy  Grand  Knight  and  other  officers  were 
John  J.  O'Callaghan,  Chancellor;  Philip  J.  Doherty,  Advocate; 
M.  F.  Shaw,  Warden;  Edward  W.  Dunn,  Recording  Secretary; 
John  H.  Black,  Financial  Secretary,  and  Eugene  S.  Sullivan, 
Treasurer. 

The  establishment  of  this  first  Massachusetts  council  stimu- 
lated a  remarkable  growth  throughout  the  entire  Order.  Brook- 
lyn Council  No.  60  had  already  been  instituted  in  New  York 
state  on  September  23,  1891.  This  council  was  formed  more  as 
a  colony  of  Columbianism  for  the  convenience  of  New  Eng- 
landers  living  in  Brooklyn  than  as  a  native  growth.  Yet  it  was 
an  outpost  in  a  region  destined  to  become  a  stronghold  of  the 
Order.  It  rapidly  proved  its  value,  for,  while  not  extraneously 
active,  its  existence  provoked  the  interest  of  local  Catholics  and 
of  Catholics  in  the  then  separate  city  of  New  York,  with  the 
result  that  in  April,  1895,  National  Organizer  Cummings  visited 
New  York  City  and  there  organized  the  first  council.  No.  124, 
the  charter  membership  of  which  included  names  famous  not  only 


Interstate  Growth  69 

in  Columbianism,  but  in  the  general  and  political  life  of  the  nation. 
Victor  J.  Dowling,  later  first  Chairman  of  the  New  York  Chapter 
and  Supreme  Court  Justice,  Hon.  John  J.  Delany,  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  Henry  J.  Heide  and  Dr.  William  T.  McManus 
were  among  the  initiates. 

At  this  stage  of  its  career,  as  at  others  in  its  later  life,  the 
Order  found  itself  experiencing  the  truth  of  the  adage  that  noth- 
ing succeeds  like  success.  Introduction  of  the  Order  into  Massa- 
chusetts and  New  York  brought  about  an  active  interest  in  those 
states  that  was  quickly  resolved  into  general  enlistment  in  the 
ranks  of  Columbianism.  In  Massachusetts  councils  were  quickly 
instituted  in  the  towns  surrounding  Boston.  Springfield,  Cam- 
bridge, Somerville,  Salem,  Woburn,  Milford,  Marlboro,  Taunton, 
were  established  one  after  the  other.  In  New  York,  councils 
sprang  up  in  different  sections  of  the  greater  city  and  Colum- 
bianism progressed  northward  to  Albany,  Troy  and  Rochester. 

National  Organizer  Cummings  visited  Portland,  Maine,  in 
July,  1894,  frequent  requests  having  been  received  by  the 
Supreme  Council  for  the  extension  of  Columbianism  to  that  state. 
On  August  12,  1894,  Portland  Council  No.  101  was  instituted, 
500  Boston  Knights  assisting  in  the  ceremonies  and  making  the 
initiation  an  interstate  celebration.  Within  a  few  months  the 
Order  was  introduced  into  the  neighboring  state  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  the  first  council  was  instituted  at  Portsmouth. 

New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  became  the  fields  for 
the  next  sowing  of  Columbianism.  Jersey  City  Council  No.  137 
was  instituted  on  November  3,  1895,  among  the  charter  members 
being  John  J.  Cone,  who  was  elected  Deputy  Supreme  Knight  in 
1897,  when  James  E.  Hayes,  of  Boston,  became  Supreme  Knight. 

The  first  executive  of  the  Order  in  Pennsylvania  was  also 
destined  for  high  office.  James  A.  Flaherty,  a  highly  respected 
lawyer  of  Philadelphia,  became  Grand  Knight  of  Philadelphia 
Council  No.  196  at  its  institution  on  November  29,  1896,  State 
Deputy  John  J.  Delany,  of  New  York,  making  this  institution 
one  of  a  long  series  of  similar  functions  he  directed.  Mr.  Delany 
was  extraordinarily  active  throughout  his  membership,  finally 


70       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

being  elected  to  the  National  Board  of  Directors  in  recognition 
of  his  services  as  first  State  Deputy  of  New  York. 

The  Order's  entry  into  Maryland  was  accomplished  by  the 
institution  of  Baltimore  Council  No.  205,  of  which  William  J. 
O'Brien,  Jr.,  became  the  first  Grand  Knight.  From  the  begin- 
ning in  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland,  as  in  the  other  states  where 
the  Order  had  been  introduced,  growth  was  rapid.  New  councils 
sprang  up  in  all  the  larger  towns. 

During  this  period  of  rapid  and  satisfactory  growth,  the  meas- 
ure of  which  is  adequately  manifested  by  the  fact  that,  within 
ten  years,  the  Order's  membership  had  increased  something  like 
three  hundred  per  cent,  important  changes  had  taken  place  in  the 
method  of  government.  In  1896  the  Board  of  Government  was 
changed  to  the  National  Council,  made  up  of  representatives  on 
a  state  strength  basis,  who  met  in  annual  convention.  Had  the 
Board  of  Government  been  maintained,  with  its  representation 
of  two  from  each  council,  it  would  quickly  have  become  unwieldy. 

For  a  while,  the  Board  of  Directors  consisted  of  each  state 
deputy  in  addition  to  the  Supreme  Officers;  but  this  system  was 
later  modified  to  that  at  present  prevailing,  which  provides  a 
compact  body  made  up  of  that  talent  for  executive  management 
adjudged  best  by  the  Supreme  Convention,  without  any  reference 
to  geographical  representation.  After  the  Order  became  interna- 
tionalized, the  National  Council  became  the  Supreme  Council, 
and  the  adjective  Supreme  was  borne  by  all  other  national  officers 
besides  the  Supreme  Knight,  who  had  been  so  styled  from  the 
beginning. 

Changes  had  also  occurred  in  the  personnel  of  the  Order's 
government.  Father  McGivney,  the  founder,  died  in  1898  in  his 
forty-third  year.  He  had  resigned  some  years  previous  from 
what  he  termed  active  participation  in  the  Order's  management, 
but  he  had  never  ceased  his  activity  in  the  Order's  interests. 
There  can  be  no  question,  in  the  light  of  his  unceasing  labors  for 
the  Order,  that  he  regarded  it  as  the  major  work  of  his  life. 
When  he  went  from  the  curacy  of  St.  Mary's  in  New  Haven  to 
the  pastorship  of  the  Church  of  St!  Thomas  in  Thomaston,  Conn., 
he  could  not  rest  until  he  had  established  a  council  of  the  Knights 


Interstate  Growth  71 

of  Columbus  in  the  town,  the  St.  Thomas  Council,  which  yet 
flourishes. 

To  the  day  of  his  death,  Father  McGivney  was  literally  the 
guide,  philosopher  and  friend  of  young  Columbianism ;  his  advice 
was  always  available,  never  until  requested,  but  always  sought. 
He  had  been  the  first  to  face  the  many  difficulties  and  dangers 
that  confronted  the  Order  in  its  infancy,  and  his  was  the  paternal 
heart  that  yearned  to  watch  its  growth  through  lusty  youth  to 
sturdy  manhood.  It  was  not  given  to  him  in  this  life  to  see  the 
Order  enter  into  the  confident  stride  of  full  maturity;  but  he 
did  live  to  know  that  the  last  reasonable  doubts  concerning  the 
utility  of  the  new  organization  had  vanished  before  the  force 
of  ecclesiastical  approval  and  the  conviction  carried  by  the  evi- 
dence of  Columbianism  in  practice.  His  death  was  felt  keenly 
throughout  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Order.  All,  from  the 
Supreme  Knight  to  the  newest  initiate,  realized  that  in  him  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  had  lost  the  man  who,  more  than  any  other, 
was  responsible  for  its  existence.  His  merits  will  not  fail  to  be 
recognized  so  long  as  Columbianism  exists  as  a  beneficent  factor 
in  human  affairs.  Father  McGivney's  brother,  the  Reverend 
Patrick  J.  McGivney,  of  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  is  now  Supreme 
Chaplain.  Another  brother,  the  Reverend  John  J.  McGivney,  is 
chaplain  of  the  State  Council  of  Connecticut. 

In  1896  Mr.  John  J.  Phelan  was  succeeded  as  Supreme  Knight 
by  Mr.  James  E.  Hayes.  Mr.  Hayes,  a  man  of  unusual  talents 
and  attractive  personality,  exemplified  all  the  vision  of  his  prede- 
cessors in  his  management  of  the  Order's  affairs.  He  was  instru- 
mental in  bringing  about  a  vast  growth  in  the  membership,  and 
his  reports  were  distinguished  for  the  skill  with  which  he 
described  past  achievements  and  prescribed  future  activities.  His 
death  in  1897  deprived  the  Order  of  a  leader  whose  career  had 
been  so  admirable  that  it  gave  promise  of  remarkable  fruition. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Deputy  Supreme  Knight  John  J.  Cone,  of 
Jersey  City. 

The  call  to  Columbianism  had  already  been  heard  from  the 
great  Middle  West,  and  National  Organizer  Cummings  was  sent 
to  Chicago  to  answer  the  call.    Incidentally,  he  had  received  the 


72       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

additional  title  of  Director  of  Ceremonies  because  of  his  talent 
for  supervising  the  management  of  Columbian  celebrations.  On 
July  10,  1896,  Chicago  Council  No.  182  was  instituted  by  State 
Deputy  Delaney,  of  New  York.  Thomas  S.  Kernan  was  the 
first  Grand  Knight  to  hold  office  in  Illinois,  and  the  character 
of  membership  of  this  first  Mid-West  Council  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  the  first  thirty  councils  in  Illinois  had  Grand  Knights 
chosen  from  among  the  members  of  Chicago  Council.  On  March 
19,  1899,  a  council  was  instituted  in  Springfield,  the  capital  of 
Illinois,  and  from  thenceforward,  at  brief  intervals,  new  councils 
were  established  through  the  state,  State  Deputy  P.  L.  McArdle, 
who  in  1900  became  Deputy  Supreme  Knight,  presided  at  most 
of  the  institution  ceremonies.  He  it  was  who  introduced  Colum- 
bianism  into  the  neighboring  state  of  Missouri.  Mr.  James  J. 
Gorman,  of  Fall  River,  Mass.,  later  State  Deputy  of  Wash- 
ington, who  succeeded-  Mr.  Cummings  as  National  Organizer 
and  accomplished  excellent  work  in  the  Middle  West,  the  North- 
west and  the  far  West,  went  into  Missouri  in  1899,  and  on 
October  8th  of  that  year  St.  Louis  Council  No.  453  was  insti- 
tuted, Mr.  P.  L.  McArdle  being  assisted  in  the  initiatory  work 
by  a  degree  team  of  Mount  Pleasant  Council  of  Boston.  The 
charter  membership  of  St.  Louis  Council  contained  many  noted 
men,  including  Dr.  Cond6  B.  Pallen,  later  managing  editor  of 
the  Catholic  Encyclopedia,  and  the  beloved  Judge  William  B. 
Teasdale. 

Missouri  was  the  twenty-first  state  jurisdiction  to  be  estab- 
lished. Youngstown,  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  had  coun- 
cils, so  had  Washington,  D.  C,  Burlington,  Bennington  and  St. 
Albans,  Vermont;  Wilmington,  Delaware;  Detroit  and  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan ;  Norfolk,  and  Richmond,  Virginia ;  Louisville, 
Kentucky;  Montreal,  Quebec;  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  Indian- 
apolis, Indiana. 

Thus,  by  1900  the  Order  had  reached  every  section  of  the 
country  but  the  far  West  and  the  extreme  South,  and  had  crossed 
the  national  boundary  into  Catholic  Quebec.  It  had  attained  the 
full  stride  of  manhood,  and  its  growth  through  the  new  century 
was  assured. 


Interstate  Growth  Th 

In  the  span  of  years  during  which  these  many  changes  occurred 
a  young  man  was  elected  to  the  National  Board  of  Directors  who 
was  destined  to  be  a  potent  factor  in  the  management  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  during  the  climacteric  period  of  its  first 
maturity  to  its  intensification  as  a  thoroughly  national  organi- 
zation. Edward  L.  Hearn,  of  Framingham,  Mass.,  later  State 
Deputy  of  Massachusetts,  was  elected  to  the  Board  of  Directors 
at  the  National  Convention  of  1895.  He  had  attained  distinction 
as  a  worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Order  in  Massachusetts,  and  had 
served,  in  minor  capacities,  at  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Govern- 
ment, and  later  at  National  Conventions.  His  election  to  the 
Board  brought  him  definitely  forward  as  a  national  figure.  His 
influence  spread  with  his  popularity  and  in  1899  he  was  elected 
Supreme  Knight,  succeeding  Mr.  John  J.  Cone.  Under 
Mr.  Hearn's  leadership,  which  continued  for  ten  years,  the  Order 
was  destined  to  embark  upon  that  course  of  public  service  which, 
through  development  following  on  development,  has  brought  it 
to  its  present  unique  status. 

No  record  of  those  formative  years  of  the  '90s,  however  brief, 
can  omit  mention  of  an  incident  singularly  pleasing  to  all  fol- 
lowers of  the  fortunes  of  Columbianism.  In  1893  an  opportu- 
nity of  paying  respect  to  Christopher  Columbus,  the  Order's 
patron,  was  afforded  by  the  presence  in  the  United  States  of  the 
Duke  de  Veragua,  Admiral  of  Spain,  a  lineal  descendant  of  the 
great  discoverer.  Supreme  Officers  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
waited  upon  the  Duke  and  presented  him  with  a  decoration  con- 
sisting of  the  Order's  insignia  in  gold,  apprizing  him  that  he 
had  been  elected  to  the  dignity,  created  especially  for  the  occa- 
sion, of  Knight  of  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

The  incident  was  one  eminently  worthy  of  the  Order,  and  an 
evidence  of  the  fine  public  spirit  manifested  by  it  through  all 
stages  of  development.  Not  for  the  notice  it  attracted,  although 
that  was  great,  but  from  the  satisfaction  it  engendered  at  the 
opportunity  of  honoring  in  a  befitting  manner  the  descendant  of 
its  patron,  the  Order  derived  a  fresh  zeal  which  animated  its 
progress  in  growth  from  state  to  state  and  from  one  achievement 
to  another. 


CHAPTER  V 
INTERNATIONAL  GROWTH 

THE  cause  of  the  failure  of  many  associations,  or  of  their 
gradual  weakening  after  a  much-heralded  beginning,  is 
that  they  are  exotic.  They  are  formed  by  idealists  who 
see  things  as  they  ought  to  be  and  not  as  they  are,  and  who  sow 
the  seeds  of  weakness  without  considering  the  quality  of  the  soil 
in  which  these  seeds  are  expected  to  germinate.  Nearly  every 
man  of  experience  can  recall  the  gradual  decay  of  associations 
which  ought  to  have  flourished  if  they  were  adapted  to  the  needs 
of  both  the  people  and  the  time.  A  study  of  the  progress  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  shows  that  there  was  nothing  exotic  about 
the  Order.  It  was  fine  and  high,  but  not  too  fine  and  high  for 
human  nature's  daily  needs.  It  forced  itself  on  no  man  or 
on  no  group  of  men.  It  did  not  attempt  to  startle  the  world 
as  a  new  uplift  movement.  It  appealed  to  no  transient  social 
fads  and  to  no  equally  transient  phase  of  politics.  A  study 
of  its  progress  should  prove  extremely  interesting  to  the  psychol- 
ogist, its  unforced  growth,  its  natural  expansion,  arc  gov- 
erned by  no  rule  except  that  which  guides  intelligent  people  to 
accept  what  they  discover  is  best  adapted  to  their  needs.  It 
could  not  be  localized  any  more  than  the  word  American  can 
be  localized.  In  fact,  it  had  qualities  of  universal  adaptation 
which  made  its  progress  easy,  gradual  and  permanent. 

An  analysis  of  a  carefully  prepared  table  showing  how  the  ten- 
drils of  the  parent  vine  found  suitable  support  will  make  manifest 
that  one  of  the  secrets  of  its  success  was  due  to  that  essential 
principle  of  democracy  which  makes  the  grasping  of  good  things 
dependent  upon  the  actual  needs  of  the  people.  There  was  no 
arbitrary  means  used  to  impose  Columbianism  on  the  men  of  any 
locality,  no  sudden  enthusiasm  created  it;  no  one  State  was  set 
mto  a  blaze,  or  what  might  have  appeared  to  be  a  warm  desire, 
worked  up  by  emotional  eloquence.     The  men  who  wanted  it, 

[74] 


International  Growth  75 

wanted  it  badly,  simply  because,  after  consideration,  they  found 
in  it  a  response  to  their  own  ideals  of  thinking  and  living. 

This  explains  the  ease  with  which  the  Order  grew,  although  a 
restraining  hand  was  exercised  always  by  those  who  governed 
it.  When  the  well-named  booms  of  other  and  not  always  success- 
ful movements  are  considered,  when  the  new  world  mania  for 
promotion  campaigns  is  examined  in  its  results,  the  wisdom  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  eschewing  all  forms  of  artificial 
stimuli  and  awaiting  invitation  before  they  proceeded  to  organize 
in  any  district,  is  demonstrated. 

Operating  in  twenty  States  of  the  Union  and  in  one  province 
of  Canada  by  the  end  of  1899,  the  Order  in  seventeen  years  had 
become  not  only  the  foremost  Catholic  fraternity  in  America,  but 
also  one  of  the  largest  and  most  promising  benevolent  societies. 
From  almost  every  part  of  the  country  queries  were  sent  to  head- 
quarters in  New  Haven  concerning  the  plans  of  expansion. 
As  far  back  as  June,  1893,  when  Columbianism  was  barely  more 
than  eleven  years  old,  its  fame  had  reached  Europe.  Charles 
Thompson,  Editor  of  the  Liverpool  Catholic  Times,  petitioned 
the  Board  of  Directors  for  extension  to  England.  This  the 
Board  deemed  inadvisable,  although  later,  in  the  early  years  of 
the  next  decade,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  consider  the  prac- 
ticability of  extension  to  Ireland.  This  committee  finally  reported 
unfavorably.  Despite  frequent  requests  from  other  European 
countries  the  Order  declined  all  invitations  to  introduce  itself 
overseas,  confining  its  energies  to  careful  expansion  in  North 
America.  It  had  seemed,  from  the  very  beginning,  that  South 
America  offered  opportunities  for  the  Order.  But  the  Board 
of  Directors,  notwithstanding  frequent  changes  of  personnel, 
has  uniformly  interpreted  the  wishes  of  the  organization  by 
refraining  from  entering  a  field  generally  considered  to  be  uncer- 
tain from  the  viewpoint  of  political  environment.  In  January, 
1910,  the  Board,  after  hearing  an  appeal  by  Dr.  James  P.  Kelley 
of  Buenos  Aires,  created  him  Territorial  Deputy  for  Argentina, 
but  upon  further  consideration  decided  not  to  organize  in  that 
country.  This  is  the  only  instance  on  record  of  the  Order  having 
mad€  d,  seriotis  mpv^  to  extend  it§elf  to  South  Am^rka, 


76       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century  found  the  Order  with  a 
nucleus  for  intensive  growth  spread  over  an  immense  area,  and 
the  tendency  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  to  concentrate  on  fill- 
ing in  the  gaps  between  the  cities  that  stood  as  outposts  of  the 
Order  rather  than  to  seek  lodgment  in  virgin  territory.  This  ten- 
dency was  not  without  its  opponents,  who  maintained,  and,  in  the 
long  run,  carried  their  point,  that  the  greatest  extension  (at  least, 
in  the  United  States  and  Canada)  would  act  as  an  incentive  to 
general  growth.  The  experience  in  the  East  was  that  Colum- 
bianism,  established  and  flourishing  in  one  city,  excited  ambitions 
in  other  cities,  with  subsequent  applications  for  charters  and 
institutions  of  councils.  True,  for  a  young  organization,  hus- 
banding its  resources  on  account  of  its  heavy  financial  respon- 
sibilities as  an  insurance  corporation,  the  field  work  preliminary 
to  far-reaching  growth  and  the  expenses  incidental  to  installation, 
formed  a  considerable  financial  item,  but  the  younger  members 
of  the  Board,  of  the  period  of  1900,  insisted  that  expenditure 
on  missionary  work  was  merely  an  investment.  By  urging  their 
doctrine  they  eventually  prevailed  over  their  more  conservative 
colleagues.  They  could  point  out  that  the  institution  of  a  council 
in  Montreal  had  been  responsible  for  an  application  from 
Ontario  —  Ottawa  receiving  a  council  in  1899.  The  establish- 
ment of  a  council  in  St.  Paul  stimulated  interest  throughout  the 
Northwest,  so  that  Superior,  Wisconsin,  sought  a  charter  in  1900, 
which  was  granted.  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  other  cities  quickly 
became  cities  of  multiple  councils,  and  through  them  the  spirit  of 
Columbianism  radiated  over  the  Middle  West.  Iowa  joined  the 
ranks  of  States  in  1901,  a  council  being  instituted  at  Dubuque. 
Kansas  City  followed,  preceded  by  Milwaukee.  In  the  meantime 
fresh  territory  was  gained  in  the  East  when  Wheeling,  West  Vir- 
ginia, obtained  a  charter.  Kansas  and  Colorado  were  the  next 
States  to  be  recruited,  Topeka  receiving  the  first  council  in  the 
former  State  and  Denver  in  the  latter.  Almost  immediately  the 
theory  of  the  liberal  element  on  the  Board  of  Directors  was  con- 
firmed, for,  within  a  few  months  of  the  establishment  of  the  first 
council  in  Kansas  and  Denver,  then  the  most  westward  points 


^  K  Of  C 


^ 


EDWARD    L.    HEARN.    of    New    York    City 

Past   Supreme   Knight   and 

Overseas  Commissioner 


International  Growth  11 

reached  by  the  Order,  Sahna  received  a  council,  and  also  Colorado 
Springs.  Going  further  West,  Utah  was  added  to  the  list  of 
Columbian  States  by  the  establishment  of  a  council  in  Salt  Lake 
City. 

Attention  was  then  directed  to  the  South.  In  that  part  of 
the  country  Catholics,  wherever  they  were  situated,  formed 
nothing  more  important  than  a  colony.  In  Georgia,  for  instance, 
they  were,  and  are  still  less  than  one  per  cent  of  the  population. 
Anti-Catholic  prejudice  was  rife  and  the  Catholic  men  of  the 
South  naturally  looked  to  the  Order  as  a  providential  medium 
for  their  consolidation  into  a  body  that  would  command  respect 
by  its  national  affiliations.  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  received  the 
first  truly  Southern  council  in  1902,  and  shortly  after  a  council 
was  instituted  in  St.  Augustine,  Florida.  Memphis  joined  the 
Order's  ranks  within  a  few  months  of  its  sister  city.  The  Vir- 
ginia Knights  unceasingly  urged,  through  State  Convention 
resolutions,  thorough  extension  through  the  South. 

Then  came  the  step  to  which  the  entire  Order  looked  forward. 
Firmly  established  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  it  had  long  been  the 
hope  of  many  and  the  determination  of  Supreme  Knight  Hearn 
that  its  banner  should  be  carried  to  the  Pacific,  that  the  Order 
should  be  given  an  opportunity  to  flourish  in  the  land  of  the 
missioners.  In  1901  the  Board  had  finally  decided  to  extend 
the  Order  to  California,  empowering  Supreme  Knight  Hearn 
to  appoint  a  degree  team  for  the  institution  of  a  council  in 
that  State.  The  question  was  for  some  weeks  undecided  as  to 
whether  Los  Angeles  or  San  Francisco  should  receive  the  first 
Californian  council,  but  San  Francisco  was  selected  and 
in  1902  the  establishment  of  San  Francisco  Council  615  was 
made  the  occasion  for  as  great  a  demonstration  of  religious 
enthusiasm  as  has  ever  been  witnessed  in  that  city.  Archbishop 
Riordan  added  his  voice  to  the  voices  of  other  prelates  who  had 
welcomed  the  Knights  to  their  dioceses. 

From  the  first,  Columbianism  in  San  Francisco  commanded 
the  adhesion  of  the  most  representative  men  in  the  city.  In 
California  was  repeated  the  familiar  phenomenon  of  extension 


78       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

to  other  cities  of  the  State  shortly  after  the  Order  had  broken 
its  first  ground  there.  Los  Angeles  quickly  received  a  council, 
and,  in  1905,  the  signal  honor  of  a  national  convention  was 
conferred  which  brought  thousands  of  Knights  and  their  friends, 
to  witness  personally  the  spread  of  the  Order  through  the  West. 
This  was  the  second  convention  to  be  held  outside  the  Order's 
birthplace  —  New  Haven;  the  Board  of  Directors  had  wisely 
decided  that  the  opportunity  should  be  taken  to  make  the  national 
and,  later,  the  supreme  conventions  a  means  for  stimulating 
interest  in  the  Order  in  different  localities  where  it  operated  by 
distributing  these  annual  gatherings  over  the  country.  As  a 
result,  North,  South,  East  and  West  have  witnessed  national 
and  international  gatherings  of  Knights,  the  conventions  being 
always  made  the  occasion  for  some  typically  Columbian  religious 
and  social  celebrations.  New  York,  Boston,  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
St.  Paul,  Denver,  Seattle,  Mobile,  Quebec,  Davenport,  Colorado 
Springs  and  other  great  cities  of  different  states  have  all  been 
hosts  to  supreme  conventions,  with  tangible  results  in  increased 
activity  throughout  each  State. 

With  the  banner  of  Columbianism  waving  over  both  the  Atlan- 
tic and  the  Pacific  the  Order  had  come  into  its  own  as  a  national 
body.  The  Catholic  press,  growing  ever  more  friendly  towards 
it,  evidenced  the  pride  with  which  the  Church  viewed  the  Order's 
success  by  throwing  its  full  support  behind  all  its  activities. 
Intent  on  aiding  the  Catholic  minority  of  the  South,  further 
extension  was  made  there.  Towards  the  end  of  1902,  Savannah, 
Georgia,  Birmingham,  Alabama  and  El  Paso,  Texas  received 
councils.  During  this  time,  the  States  in  the  Middle  West  and 
the  East  continued  to  add  strength  to  the  movement.  Indiana, 
Iowa,  Minnesota,  Missouri  all  received  new  councils ;  Des  Moines, 
Winona,  Terre  Haute  and  St.  Joseph  were  among  the  cities 
joining  the  Order. 

The  next  State  to  fall  in  line  was  New  Mexico,  a  council  going 
to  Albuquerque,  and  the  elasticity  of  the  Order's  growth  is  illus- 
trated by  the  fact  that  the  next  council  was  instituted  in  Middle- 
bury,    Vermont,    the    next    in    Parsons,    Kansas,    and    others 


International  Growth  79 

immediately  after  in  Knoxville,  Jacksonville,.  Atlanta,  Mobile  and 
Tampa.  Nebraska  joined  the  lengthening  list  of  States  early  in 
1903,  when  Omaha  received  Council  No.  652.  Montana  and 
Oregon  were  the  next  States  enlisted,  with  a  council  each  in  Butte 
and  Portland.  Again  impartially  distributed  growth  was  demon- 
strated, Elwood,  Indiana,  Millinocket,  Maine,  Leadville,  Colorado, 
and  Macomb,  Illinois,  receiving  the  next  four  councils.  Washing- 
ton followed  the  example  of  its  neighbor  Oregon,  Spokane  being 
the  scene  of  enthusiastic  institutional  ceremonies  in  the  summer  of 
1903.  With  surprising  rapidity,  within  the  space  of  three 
months,  seven  new  States  joined  the  ranks.  South  Dakota  with 
a  council  in  Lead,  No.  703,  South  Carolina  with  one  in  Charles- 
town,  Louisiana  with  one  in  New  Orleans,  the  other  cities  to 
receive  councils  being  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  McAlester, 
Oklahoma,  Fargo,  North  Dakota  and  Cheyenne,  Wyoming. 

By  1904  only  five  states  of  the  Union  remained  uninvaded, 
and  cities  in  these  quickly  applied  for  charters,  which  were  soon 
granted.  Meridian.  Mississippi,  received  Council  802,  and  Little 
Rock,  Arkansas,  Bisbee,  Arizona,  Pocatello,  Idaho  and  Reno, 
Nevada,  each  produced  large  and  representative  charter  member- 
ships. The  lists  of  the  first  members  of  these  new  councils, 
necessarily  omitted  from  a  record  so  brief,  constitute  a  genuine 
tribute  to  the  men  piloting  the  Order  through  this  period  of 
rapid  expansion.  Leading  professional  and  business  men  and 
substantial  tradesmen  appear  in  due  proportion,  and  the  ages 
of  the  candidates  reduce  to  an  average  which  demonstrates  that 
the  Order  was  receiving  large  number  of  young  men  in  their 
late  twenties  and  early  thirties,  when  organization  in  a  progress- 
ive, constructive  fraternity  enhanced  their  civic  usefulness. 

While  growth  proceeded  at  a  most  satisfactory  pace  in  the 
United  States,  new  points  being  reached  every  month,  and  old 
territories  receiving  fuller  development,  Canada  was  not  behind- 
hand in  the  forward  movement.  The  extreme  east  of  the  con- 
tinent was  reached  by  the  introduction  of  a  council  to  Prince 
Edward  Island,  Charlottetown  being  the  city  of  institution.  In 
Canada,  as  in  the  parent  country,  growth  in  a  State  jurisdiction 


80       Tiii<:  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

immediately  followed  introduction.  St.  John,  New  Brunswick 
received  Council  No.  937  in  1905  and  Sydney,  Nova  Scotia,  No. 
1060  a  few  months  later.  Prince  Edward  Island,  New  Bruns- 
wick and  Nova  Scotia  form  one  State  jurisdiction,  known  as  the 
Maritime  Provinces.  Similar  unions  have  been  effected  both  in 
Canada  and  the  United  States  —  Manitoba,  where  Dr.  E.  W. 
Buckley  of  St.  Paul,  then  State  Deputy  of  Minnesota  and  later 
Supreme  Physician  of  the  Order,  introduced  Columbianism  to 
Winnipeg  in  1907,  and  Saskatchewan,  where  Regina  Council  No. 
1247  was  instituted  by  John  F.  Martin,  State  Deputy  of  Wis- 
consin and  now  a  Supreme  Director,  in  1908,  forming  one  State 
jurisdiction,  as  do  the  States  of  North  and  South  Carolina. 

The  first  trans-oceanic  step  was  taken  when  the  appeal  of  the 
Catholic  men  in  Manila,  Philippine  Islands,  was  granted  and  a 
council  instituted  there.  Incidentally,  Manila  Council  marked 
the  Order's  attainment  of  its  thousandth  subordinate  unit.  In 
October,  1911,  the  Board  of  Directors  placed  this  council  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  California,  where  it  has  since  remained. 

In  1906,  after  many  hesitations,  the  Board  of  Directors  finally 
decided  to  enter  the  Republic  of  Mexico.  Supreme  Knight  Plearn 
and  John  H.  Reddin,  the  Grand  Knight  of  Denver  Council, 
who  had  instituted  San  Francisco  Council  and  played  an  impor- 
tant part  in  extending  the  Order  through  the  far  West,  took 
an  able  degree  team  to  Mexico  City  and  there,  under  the  patron- 
age of  the  Archbishop,  who  later  played  a  leading  r61e  in  the 
tragic  days  following  the  revolution  against  President  Madero, 
the  first  Mexican  council  was  instituted  in  an  ancient  palace. 
Naturally,  although  the  prospects  for  growth  in  Mexico  were 
most  promising,  the  disorders  consequent  upon  the  various  revo- 
lutions made  it  unwise  to  press  extension.  Yet  it  is  to  be 
recorded  that,  throughout  the  horrors  of  the  sieges  and  counter- 
sieges  of  the  Mexican  capital,  Mexico  City  Council  has  prospered, 
and  the  cause  of  Columbianism  in  that  tortured  Republic  has  not 
abated,  for,  no  sooner  had  a  semblance  of  order  been  established, 
than  active    interest  was  demonstrated  by  an  application  from 


International  Growth  81 

another  Mexican  city  —  Pachua,  in  the  Province  of  Sonora  — 
where  Council  No.  1902  was  instituted  in  1918. 

Distributed  over  all  parts  of  the  North  American  Continent 
where  growth  was  practicable,  there  yet  remained  some  portions 
of  virgin  territory.  These  were  soon  invaded.  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus resident  in  the  Panama  Canal  Zone  had  applied  for  admission 
to  the  Order  in  1905,  when  they  organized  a  club  among  them- 
selves. The  Board  of  Directors  did  not,  at  first,  view  their  appli- 
cation with  favor,  as  the  territory  was  inhibitive  for  insurance 
operations.  Yet,  other  territories,  as,  for  instance,  Louisiana, 
which  had  at  first  been  purely  associate  membership  jurisdictions, 
were  later  admitted  to  the  insurance  ranks,  which  leads  to  the 
conclusion  that  distance  was  the  principal  cause  of  delay  in  the 
granting  of  a  charter  to  the  Panama  members  and  their  friends 
who  desired  membership.  The  charter  was  granted,  however, 
in  April,  1909,  Council  1371  going  to  Panama.  The  year  pre- 
vious, the  last  Canadian  Province  joined  the  ranks,  Edmonton, 
Alberta,  receiving  Council  No.  1184  and  making  representation 
complete  in  the  Dominion.  Toronto  received  Council  No.  1388  a 
year  later,  and  Sudbury,  Ontario,  in  the  heart  of  the  mining 
region  of  that  Province,  obtained  Council  1387  shortly  before 
Toronto  Council  was  instituted. 

The  next  important  progression  was  to  Cuba,  where  Havana 
Council  No.  1390  was  instituted  in  1909,  many  of  the  most  impor- 
tant men  of  the  republic  becoming  charter  members.  The  Prime 
Minister  of  Newfoundland,  Sir  Edward  Morris,  joined  St. 
John's  Council  No.  1452,  when  it  was  established  in  1910.  The 
Vicar  General,  now  Archbishop  Roche,  and  Hon.  M.  P.  Gibbs. 
Mayor  of  St.  John's,  were  also  charter  members.  But  St.  John's, 
while  the  capital  of  Newfoundland,  was  not  the  first  city  in  that 
state  jurisdiction  to  have  a  cotmcil,  in  this  respect  being  similar 
to  many  state  capitals  in  the  United  States.  In  February,  1910, 
Dalton  Council  No.  1448  had  been  instituted  at  Harbor  Grace, 
Right  Reverend  Bishop  John  Marsh  being  a  charter  member. 

Porto  Rico,  Alaska  and  Hawaii  were  the  only  places  under 
American  influence,  inhabited  by  people  of  European  descent. 


82       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

which  remained  untouched.  But  not  for  long,  so  far  as  Porto 
Rico  and  Alaska  were  concerned.  Only  a  few  days  after  the 
entry  into  Newfoundland,  Porto  Rico,  at  the  other  extremity  of 
the  continent,  was  added  to  Columbian  territory  by  the  institu- 
tion of  Council  No.  1543  at  San  Juan,  a  degree  team  travelling 
from  New  York  for  the  ceremony.  Right  Reverend  Bishop  Wil- 
liam A.  Jones  became  first  Chaplain  of  the  Council,  celebrating 
the  Solemn  High  Mass  with  which  the  institution  commenced  — 
a  laudable  practice  maintained  by  the  Order  from  its  origin. 
Hon.  Jos^  C.  Hernandez,  Chief  Justice  of  Porto  Rico,  was  also 
a  charter  member  of  San  Juan  Council. 

Robert  C.  Hurley  of  Juneau,  Alaska,  forwarded  an  application 
to  the  Board  of  Directors  from  Juneau,  in  June,  1911.  It  was 
at  first  deemed  inexpedient,  but  later  the  charter  was  granted, 
and  in  1912  Council  No.  1760  was  instituted  there. 

The  war  record  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  so  well-known 
among  the  Catholics  of  Europe,  has  resulted  in  a  widespread 
desire  to  have  the  Order  cross  the  ocean  and  participate  in  the 
Catholic  life  of  the  mother  countries  of  America.  Norway,  Scot- 
land, France  and  Italy  have  all  requested  the  Knights  to  institute 
councils  in  their  territory.  So  far  the  Board  of  Directors  has 
deemed  extension  to  Europe  inadvisable,  notwithstanding  the 
urgent  request  of  the  Catenian  Association  —  a  strong  Catholic 
lay  organization  of  England  —  that  steps  be  taken  to  merge  it 
in  an  English  branch  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  A  well-known 
Australian  placed  an  appeal  before  the  Board  of  Directors  in  the 
summer  of  1919.  Previous  to  that  New  Zealand  had  been  heard 
from.  Sentiment  seems  to  be  in  favor  of  extension  to  the  anti- 
podes, but  it  seems  doubtful  whether  the  Order  will  ever  go  to 
Europe. 

Throughout  this  triumphant  progress  of  Columbianism  over 
the  North  American  continent,  solidification  in  the  East  and  the 
Middle  West  was  proceeding  apace  with  the  acquisition  of  new 
territory.  In  1910,  when  growth  was  spectacular,  the  Order's 
annalists  recorded  that  while,  in  the  far  North,  a  council  was 
instituted  in  Prince  Albert,  Saskatchewan,  and  numbered  1519, 


International  Growth  83 

the  very  next  council  was  established  at  Canaan,  in  the  home 
State,  Connecticut.  Even  today,  in  those  Eastern  states  where 
the  Order  first  started,  it  is  still  growing ;  those  that  have  councils 
bearing  numbers  in  the  first  hundred  also  have  councils  with 
numbers  in  the  twenty-first  hundred. 

The  number  of  councils,  advancing  every  year,  is,  of  course, 
an  index  to  the  volume  of  increasing  membership.  Today,  with  its 
numbers  approaching  600,000  men  in  approximately  2,000 
councils,  the  Order  has  reached  an  eminence  and  power 
undreamed  of  by  its  progenitors.  In  ascribing  this  growth  to 
its  principal  cause,  the  need  of  a  society  for  Catholics  that  could 
offer  social  advantages  heightened  by  a  background  of  practical 
religion,  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  enormous  human  energy 
required  to  build  up  the  organization  to  international  magnitude, 
and  we  must  remember  the  individuals,  most  of  them  men  of  the 
rank  and  file,  who  followed  devotedly  the  leaders  they  themselves 
had  chosen,  without  thought  of  personal  glory,  merely  seeking  the 
advancement  of  those  high  aims  for  which  the  Order  stands,  who 
contributed  their  energy  to  the  sum  total  which  achieved  results 
unprecedented  in  the  history  of  American  fraternal  societies. 

These  leaders  were  men  whose  talents  and  initiative  more  than 
justified  the  confidence  of  those  who,  when  laimching  the  Order, 
felt  that  the  combined  racial"  strength  of  American  Catholicity 
was  capable  of  producing  the  highest  type  of  leadership.  They 
were  men  who,  when  considered  from  our  present  environment 
of  fixed  commercialism  and  its  set  standard  for  all  efforts,  even 
the  most  humane,  impress  us  with  the  real  and  unfailing  chivalry 
they  displayed  for  the  cause.  To  spread  the  ideals  of  Columbianism 
they  made  sacrifices,  without  thinking  of  the  word.  They  devoted 
days  and  weeks  and  months,  and  many  of  them  years  which 
employed  by  their  trained  skill  in  whatever  profession  they  fol- 
lowed, could  have  been  turned  to  great  personal  profit.  Even 
in  so  minor  a  matter  as  travelling  expenses  in  their  endless 
journeyings  to  and  fro,  over  wide  distances,  for  the  propagation 
of  the  Order,  they  often  displayed  what  may  be  justifiably  termed 
over-scrupulousness  in  declining  refunds.     Their  souls  were  in 


84       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

their  self-imposed  task  of  making  the  Order  a  power  in  the  land. 
Many  of  these  men  are  living  today,  rejoicing  in  the  fruits  of 
their  labors.  Others  are  dead;  but  they  did  not  die  until  they 
saw  Columbianism  reach  the  heights  to  which  their  efforts  helped 
to  carry  it. 

To  assign  what  is  ordinarily  and  quite  correctly  termed 
"credit"  (inasmuch  as  it  involves  the  indebtedness  of  those  who 
come  after  the  pioneers),  to  all  those  who  labored  for  Colum- 
bianism in  its  first  decades  is  impossible.  But  it  is  possible  to  name 
the  men  who  lead  the  march  of  Columbianism,  though  not,  of 
course,  without  running  the  risk  of  omitting  some  names  worthy 
of  particular  mention.  In  New  Hampshire  the  Donovan  brothers 
and  Dr.  Sullivan  were  ardent  workers  for  the  cause;  in  Vermont, 
Dr.  John  H.  Rudden  and  Mr.  James  Giltinen;  in  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  Mr.  John  Cavanaugh,  and  Messrs.  Joseph  Mercier  and 
John  Hearn ;  in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  Messrs.  John  Dunn  and 
M.  J.  Gorman ;  in  Manitoba,  Dr.  E.  W.  Buckley  and  Mr.  John  F. 
IMartin  of  Wisconsin  were  pioneers  in  instituting  and  aiding 
development,  Mr.  T.  D.  Deegan  being  a  native  pillar  of  Colum- 
bianism; in  Alberta,  Mr.  James  Burns  and  Mr.  William  Ryan 
were  warm  supporters  of  the  cause;  in  British  Columbia,  J.  D. 
Byrne;  in  New  York,  John  Quinn  of  Brooklyn  was  the  first 
enthusiast,  quickly  joined  by  Mr.  John  J.  Delaney,  Charles  A. 
Webber,  Dr.  Joseph  Smith,  Mr.  Frank  McCluskey,  Mr.  Stephen 
Moran  of  Albany,  Mr.  Joseph  Gavin  of  Buffalo  and  Daniel  J. 
Griffin;  in  New  Jersey,  Mr.  John  Cone,  at  one  time  Supreme 
Knight,  Mr.  E.  Raidle  of  New  Brunswick  and  Mr.  Joseph  Byrne 
of  New^ark;  in  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  James  A.  Flaherty,  now 
Supreme  Knight,  Mr.  Ledley  Gloninger  and  Mr.  Peter  McNulty; 
in  Ohio,  Mr.  Warren  Mosher  of  Youngstown;  in  Michigan, 
Messrs.  E.  H.  Doyle  and  George  F.  Monaghan  of  Detroit;  in 
Indiana,  Messrs.  John  J.  Ewing,  William  Mooney,  E.  Reilly  and 
William  F.  Fox,  the  last  named  now  a  Supreme  Director;  in 
Kentucky,  Mr.  Spalding  Coleman,  Dr.  Loomis  and  Dr.  Ochter- 
loon  and  Mr.  Nat  Wynn ;  in  Delaware,  Mr.  Peter  Ford ;  in  Mary- 
land, Mr.  William  J.  O'Brien,  Jr. ;  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 


JAMES  A.  FLAHERTY,  of  Philadelphia 
Supreme   Knight 


International  Growth  85 

Mr.  Bernard  Bridget;  in  West  Virginia,  Dr.  Wingerter;  in  Vir- 
ginia, Mr.  Daniel  J.  Callahan,  now  Supreme  Treasurer;  in 
Wisconsin,  Mr.  William  D.  Dwyer  and  Mr.  John  F.  Martin,  both 
at  present  members  of  the  Supreme  Board,  Mr.  Dwyer  having 
served  for  many  years  with  conspicuous  ability  as  a  Supreme 
Director;  in  Minnesota,  the  Honorable  Thomas  D.  O'Brien, 
Judge  Kelly  and  Dr.  E.  W.  Buckley ;  in  South  Dakota,  Mr.  John 
Bowler;  in  North  Dakota,  the  Reverend  Father  McCarthy, 
Vicar-General  of  the  diocese  of  Fargo,  and  Mr.  Anhier ;  in  Iowa, 
Mr.  W.  J.  McCullough  of  Davenport  and  Mr.  John  Fleming  of 
Des  Moines;  in  Missouri,  Judge  William  P.  Teasdale  and 
Mr.  Amedee  V.  Rayburne ;  in  Montana,  Mr.  Christopher  P.  Con- 
nolly and  Mr.  Con  Kelly;  in  Kansas,  Messrs.  T.  J.  Coughlin, 
Richard  P.  Hayden  and  Peter  Monaghan;  in  Colorado,  Mr.  John 
H.  Reddin,  now  a  Supreme  Director  and  Supreme  IMaster  of  the 
Fourth  Degree;  in  Utah,  Mr.  George  Joy  Gibson  and  Mr.  Cos- 
griff,  who  also  co-operated  with  Mr.  John  H.  Reddin  in  organ- 
izing Columbianism  in  Wyoming;  in  California,  Mr.  Joseph 
Scott  and  Mr.  Neal  Power,  the  former  of  whom  is  holder  of  the 
Lsetare  Medal  of  Notre  Dame  University,  while  the  latter 
was  signally  honored  for  his  services  in  the  war;  in  Oregon, 
Mr.  John  Garrin,  a  former  United  States  Senator,  and  Messrs. 
Ben  L.  Norden  and  Roger  Sinnott;  in  Washington,  Mr.  T.  J. 
Gorman;  in  Idaho,  Mr.  Jesse  Hawley;  in  Texas,  Mr.  E.  V.  Ber- 
rien of  El  Paso,  Judge  Buckley  of  San  Antonio  and  Mr.  Michael 
Murphy  of  Dallas;  in  New  Mexico,  Mr.  Owen  N.  Marron;  in 
Arizona,  Major  Brophy  of  Bisbee  and  Mr.  Robert  Morrison  of 
Prescott,  now  a  Vice-Supreme  IMaster  of  the  Fourth  Degree;  in 
the  Carolinas,  Mr.  John  Callahan,  Mr.  Conway,  the  first  Terri- 
torial Deputy  and  Mr.  Rafferty  and  the  Reverend  John  E.  Gunn, 
present  Bishop  of  Natchez,  Mississippi,  then  a  parish  priest  in 
Charleston ;  in  Georgia,  Captain  Patrick  H.  Rice  of  Augusta  and 
Colonel  P.  J.  O'Leary  of  Savannah,  the  latter  an  able  Depart- 
mental Director  of  the  Order's  home  activities  during  the  war; 
in  Alabama,  Messrs.  Joseph  Blunt  and  Sterling  Wood;  in 
Florida,  Mr.  George  Boutwell ;  in  Mississippi,  Mr.  Stephen 
7 


86       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Trainer;  in  Louisiana,  Mr.  George  W.  Young,  who  became  a 
Vice-Supreme  Master  of  the  Fourth  Degree;  in  Arkansas, 
Mr.  James  Gray  and  the  present  State  Deputy,  Mr.  E.  F. 
Kirwin;  in  Oklahoma,  the  Reverend  M.  B.  Murphy,  Dr.  Troy, 
Mr.  Fielding  Lewis  and  Mr.  James  J.  McGraw,  now  a  Supreme 
Director;  in  Nevada,  Judge  P.  J.  McCarron,  now  a  Judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  that  State;  in  Tennessee,  Messrs.  Ferdinand 
Kuhn,  Stigmeir  of  Chattanooga  and  Morross;  in  the  Republic 
of  Mexico,  Mr.  Bernard  Frisbie,  Judge  Sepulveda  and  Mr.  E.  W. 
Sours;  in  the  Phillippine  Islands,  Mr.  Gabriel  A.  O'Reilly;  in 
the  Province  of  New  Brunswick,  Mr.  William  Mahoney  and  in 
the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia,  Mr.  Creigh. 

Mr.  Edward  L.  Hearn,  himself  responsible  in  large  measure 
for  the  early  growth  of  the  Order,  declared  once  that  Mr.  Michael 
Gleason  of  Chicago  and  Mr.  James  J.  Gorman  of  Fall  River, 
Massachusetts,  were  invaluable  as  national  organizers.  He 
added  an  interesting  fact  when  he  stated  that  Messrs.  William 
D.  Dwyer,  John  H.  Reddin,  Joseph  Scott  and  T.  J.  Gorman 
travelled  many  thousands  of  miles  in  their  efforts  to  build  up 
the  Order. 

Those  who  now  have  the  privilege  of  joining  the  ranks  when 
the  Order  stands  at  the  zenith  of  its  power  may  not  realize  the 
immensity  of  the  task  accomplished  in  building  up  Columbianism 
from  a  small  and  unimportant  (though  always  high-principled) 
organization,  confined  to  a  single  State  or  a  few  States,  to  a  power- 
ful association  regarded  the  world  over  as  typical  of  the  initiative 
and  enterprise  of  North  America  and  prized  in  our  country  as 
one  of  America's  most  valuable  agencies  for  disinterested  public 
service.  But  without  this  labor,  unselfishly  and  unceasingly 
offered,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  would  yet  be  a  small,  struggling 
fraternity,  one  of  many  similar  bodies,  unable  to  seize  the  splen- 
did opportunities  which  Providence  has  placed  .in  its  path,  and 
which  it  has  developed  to  the  admiration  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  VI 
CONSTITUTION  AND  GOVERNMENT 

THE  first  and  repeated  proof  of  the  Order's  progressiveness 
has  been  its  readiness,  from  its  earliest  history,  to  amend 
or  discard  articles  or  modes  of  government  when  they 
proved  inadequate  to  its  growing  needs.  Changes  have  been 
promptly  made,  and  in  the  course  of  its  existence  the  system  of 
government  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  has  been  developed  to 
an  excellent  balance  of  power,  ranging  from  the  supreme  to  the 
simply  local. 

The  original  charter  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  granted 
by  a  special  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Connec- 
ticut in  1882.  It  was  then  named  *'  Knights  of  Columbus  of  New 
Haven,"  but  its  subsequent  growth  made  necessary  a  change  in 
the  title  and  it  became,  by  amendment,  "  Knights  of  Columbus." 
Several  amendments  have  been  adopted  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  Connecticut  upon  request  of  the  Order,  chiefly  relating  to 
the  perfecting,  from  a  legal  standpoint,  of  the  insurance  feature. 
The  original  charter  specified  only  "  the  purpose  of  rendering 
mutual  aid  and  assistance  to  the  members  of  said  society  and 
their  families."  This  purpose  was  much  broadened  by  successive 
amendments,  and  the  present  charter  reads : 

Section  i.  *  *  *  constituted  a  body  corporate  and  politic  by  the 
name  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  for  the  following  purposes  only : 

(i)  Of  rendering  pecuniary  aid  to  its  members  and  beneficiaries  of  mem- 
bers, which  aid  shall  be  exempt  from  attachment  and  execution  while  in 
possession  or  control  of  such  corporation,  members  or  beneficiaries,  which 
beneficiaries  shall  be  wife  of  the  members,  relative  by  blood  to  tlie  fourth 
degree,  father-in-law,  mother-in-law,  daughter-in-law,  son-in-law,  step- 
father, step-mother,  step-children,  children  by  legal  adoption  or  a  pe-rson  or 
persons  dependent  upon  the  member,  provided  if,  after  the  issuance  of  the 
original  certificate,  the  member  shall  become  dependent  upon  an  incor- 
porated charitable  institution,  he  shall  have  the  privilege,  with  the  consent 
of  the  society,  of  making  such  institution  his  beneficiary.  Within  the 
above  restrictions  each  member  shall  have  the  right  to  designate  his  bene- 

[87] 


88       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

ficiar}-  and  to  have  the  same  changed  in  accordance  with  the  laws,  rules  or 
regulations  of  the  society ;  and  no  beneficiary  shall  have  or  obtain  any  vested 
interest  in  said  benefit  until  the  same  has  become  due  and  payable  upon 
the  death  of  said  member;  provided  the  society  may,  by  its  laws,  limit  the 
scope  of  beneficiaries  within  the  above  classes ; 

(2)  of  rendering  mutual  aid  and  assistance  to  its  sick  and  disabled 
members ; 

(3)  of  promoting  such  social  and  intellectual  intercourse  among  its  mem- 
bers as  shall  be  desirable  and  proper,  and  by  such  lawful  means  as  to  them 
shall  seem  best ; 

(4)  of  promoting  and  conducting  educational  charitable,  religious,  social 
welfare,  war  relief  and  welfare  and  public  relief  work. 

(5)  To  more  effectually  carry  out  its  purposes,  it  may  establish,  accumu- 
late and  maintain  a  reserve  fund  or  other  fund  or  funds  in  such  manner  or 
in  such  amounts  as  it  may  determine. 

(6)  All  insurance  funds,  however,  shall  be  kept  invested  and  ear  marked 
separate  from  any  and  all  other  funds  and  in  the  examination  of  said 
society,  the  insurance  commissioner  shall  be  obliged  to  examine  only  its 
insurance  funds. 

Sec.  2.  Said  corporation,  by  its  corporate  name,  to  wit,  Knights  of 
Columbus,  shall  have  perpetual  succession,  and  shall  have  power  in  law 
to  purchase,  receive,  hold  and  convey,  all  kinds  of  property,  real  and  per- 
sonal, requisite  or  convenient  for  the  purposes  of  said  corporation;  may 
have  a  common  seal,  which  it  may  change  and  renew  at  pleasure ; 
may  sue  and  be  sued,  defend  and  be  defended,  plead  and  be  impleaded, 
answer  and  be  answered  unto,  in  all  the  courts  of  this  State,  in  any  court 
in  any  other  State  of  the  United  States,  in  any  court  of  any  foreign  country, 
and  in  the  United  States  courts  and  all  places  whatsoever;  may  elect  and 
appoint  such  officers  and  agents  as  it  may  deem  necessary  and  proper;  shall 
have  power  to  make  and  adopt  a  Constitution  and  By-laws,  rules  and  regu- 
lations for  the  government,  suspension,  expulsion,  and  punishment  of  its 
members,  for  the  election  and  appointment  of  its  officers  and  the  defining 
of  their  duties,  and  for  the  management  and  protection  of  its  property 
and  fimds  and  any  and  all  other  matters  appertaining  to  the  well-being  and 
conduct  of  said  organization;  may  from  time  to  time  alter,  amend  and 
repeal  said  Constitution,  By-laws,  rules  and  regulations,  and  adopt  others 
in  their  place ;  provided  that  the  same  is  legally  done ;  and,  provided  further, 
that  said  Knights  of  Columbus  shall  continue  to  be  governed,  managed  and 
controlled  by  the  Constitution  of  the  Board  of  Government,  laws  of  the 
Board  of  Government,  laws  and  rules  for  Subordinate  Councils  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  and  all  other  regulations,  laws,  by-laws,  and  rules 
now  in  force  and  already  adopted  by  said  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  by  the 
National  Constitution  adopted  by  said  Board  of  Government,  and  all  amend- 


Constitution  and  Government  89 

merits  thereto,  until  the  same  are  legally  changed,  altered,  amended,  or 
repealed,  in  the  manner  in  the  said  Constitution,  Laws  of  the  Board  of 
Government,  National  Constitution  and  laws  and  rules  for  Subordinate 
Councils  now  provided;  and  shall  have  all  other  powers  granted  to  cor- 
porations by  the  general  laws  of  this  state. 

Sec.  3.  Said  corporation  may  locate  and  establish  Subordinate  Councils, 
or  other  branches  and  divisions  thereof,  composed  of  members  of  said  cor- 
poration in  any  town  or  city  in  this  or  any  other  state  of  the  United  States, 
or  any  foreign  country,  and  said  councils  or  branches,  when  so  established, 
shall  be  governed  and  managed  by  such  laws,  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations 
as  said  corporation  shall  determine ;  and  said  corporation  may  enforce  such 
laws,  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations  against  said  Subordinate  Councils, 
divisions  and  branches  in  any  action  at  law  in  any  court  in  this  state  or 
any  other  state  in  the  United  States,  or  any  court  in  any  foreign  country; 
and  all  Subordinate  Councils  or  other  branches  of  said  corporation  here- 
tofore established  by  said  corporation  shall  be  governed  by  such  laws, 
by-laws,  rules  and  regulations  as  are  now  in  force,  or  which  may  be  here- 
after adopted  by  said  corporation ;  and  said  laws,  by-laws,  rules  and  regu- 
lations may  be  enforced  by  said  corporation  by  suit  at  law  in  any  court  in 
this  state  or  any  other  state  of  the  United  States,  or  any  court  of  any  foreign 
country. 

Sec.  4.  Said  corporation  shall,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  March  in 
each  year,  make  and  file  with  the  Insurance  Commissioner  of  this  state,  a 
report  of  its  affairs  and  operations  during  the  year  ending  the  31st  day  of 
December  next  preceding.  Such  annual  reports  shall  be  made  on  blank 
forms,  substantially  as  provided  for  assessment  insurance  companies  in 
section  3577  of  the  General  Statutes,  to  be  provided  and  furnished  by  the 
Insurance  Commissioner,  and  shall  be  verified  under  the  oath  of  its  Presi- 
dent and  Secretar)',  or  like  officers,  and  shall  be  published,  or  the  substance 
thereof,  in  his  annual  report  by  said  commissioner. 

Sec.  5.  Said  corporation  shall  make  no  laws,  by-laws,  rules  or  regula- 
tions which  shall  be  inconsistent  with  the  laws  of  this  state. 

The  legal  status  of  the  Order  may  be  described  as  that  of  a 
fraternal  benefit  society,  with  much  broader  powers  in  other 
directions  than  have  ever  been  granted  to  a  similar  society. 
Indeed,  it  has  been  said  that  no  fraternal  society  in  the  United 
States  is  operating  under  such  a  broad  charter  as  the  Knights 
of  Columbus. 

The  scheme  of  the  organization  may  be  briefly  outlined  as  fol- 
lows :     It  is  a  democracy,  with  a  representative  form  of  govern- 


90       The  Knights  of  Culumbls  in  Peace  and  War 

ment.  The  chief  administrative  officer  is  known  as  the  Supreme 
Knight.  His  powers  and  duties  are  set  forth  in  the  Laws  and 
Rules  adopted  by  the  Supreme  Council. 

The  other  officers  of  the  Order  are:  The  Deputy  Supreme 
Knight,  whose  duties  are  equivalent  to  those  of  the  vice-president 
of  a  corporation.  The  Supreme  Secretary  who,  besides  having 
the  duties  usually  given  to  a  secretary,  has  very  much  greater 
responsibilities,  chief  of  which  is  the  collection  of  all  insurance 
assessments  and  all  dues  for  maintenance  and  other  purposes. 
He  has  charge  of  the  entire  force  of  the  Supreme  Office,  which 
is  located  at  New  Haven.  He  attends  to  all  correspondence,  and 
in  a  way  may  be  described  as  the  chief  operator  and  engineer  of 
the  whole  organization.  When  it  is  considered  that  the  insur- 
ance assessments  received  in  a  given  year  will  amount  to  about 
two  million  dollars,  and  other  receipts  for  management  and  main- 
tenance amount  to  about  half  a  million  dollars,  it  will  be  under- 
stood that  upon  this  official  is  placed  a  tremendous  responsibility. 

The  Supreme  Treasurer  has  the  custody  of  the  funds  of  the 
Order,  and  has  the  duties  usually  incumbent  upon  such  an  offi- 
cial. He  presents  a  printed  report  to  the  Supreme  Council  each 
year,  giving  in  detail  the  number  and  amount  of  every  check 
drawn,  the  person  to  whom  payable,  and  the  purpose  for  which 
paid.  This  complete  statement  is  afterward  published  in  The 
Columbiad  and  goes  to  the  home  of  every  member  of  the  Order. 
It  is  doubtful  if  there  is  any  other  corporation  or  society  doing 
a  large  business  which  informs  its  members  individually  each 
year  of  every  dollar  spent  and  the  purpose  therefor.  During  the 
war  the  Supreme  Secretary  and  Supreme  Treasurer  handled  the 
war  moneys,  amounting  to  nearly  forty  million  dollars,  without 
compensation. 

The  Supreme  Advocate  is  the  legal  adviser  of  the  Order  and 
its  officials. 

The  Supreme  Physician  must  pass  finally  upon  the  medical 
examinations  of  applicants  for  insurance,  investigate  the  cause 
given  in  case  of  death,  and  otherwise  advise  in  all  matters  affect- 
ing insurance  members. 


iA,»<yc. 


^ 


The   HONORABLE    JOSEPH    C.    PELLETIER 

of   Boston 
Supreme   Advocate 


Constitution  and  Government  91 

The  Supreme  Chaplain  is  the  adviser  of  the  Supreme  Officers, 
the  Board  of  Directors,  and  the  Order  at  large,  on  all  spiritual 
matters. 

The  Supreme  Officers,  with  the  exception  of  the  Supreme 
Chaplain,  who  is  selected  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  are  elected 
by  the  Supreme  Council  for  a  two-year  term.  They  are  ex-officio 
members  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  consisting  of  twelve  mem- 
bers, four  being  elected  each  year  for  a  three-year  term. 

The  Board  of  Directors  has  full  supervision  and  control  of 
all  property  of  the  Order  not  specifically  belonging  to  State  and 
subordinate  councils,  and  has  the  powers  generally  given  to  such 
a  body  together  with  such  certain  specific  responsibilities  and 
rights  as  are  set  forth  in  the  laws.  By  a  proposed  amendment 
to  the  laws,  not  yet  effective,  the  number  of  elected  members  of 
the  Board  may  be  increased  from  twelve  to  fifteen,  all  of  whom 
must  be  insurance  members. 

The  Supreme  Council,  formerly  called  the  Board  of  Govern- 
ment, and  later  known  as  the  National  Council,  is  the  law-making 
body  of  the  Order.  It  alone  has  the  right  to  make  laws  and  rules 
and  to  amend  the  Constitution.  Amendments  of  this  latter 
organic  law  require  action  by  two  successive  meetings  of  the 
Supreme  Council,  thus  protecting  it  from  the  danger  of  sudden 
changes. 

The  Supreme  Council  is  comprised  of  the  Supreme  Officers 
ex-officio,  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  who  however  have 
not  the  right  to  vote;  the  State  Deputy  or  chief  officer  of  each 
state  jurisdiction,  and  his  immediate  predecessor  if  still  a  resi- 
dent in  the  State;  the  Territorial  Deputy  in  jurisdictions  where 
there  is  no  State  organization,  and  representatives  from  each 
State  council,  not  exceeding  eight,  to  be  elected  by  the  State  coun- 
cil upon  the  following  basis:  One  representative  for  the  first 
two  thousand  insurance  members,  one  representative  for  the 
first  two  thousand  associate  members,  one  representative  for 
each  additional  two  thousand  insurance  members  or  major  part 
thereof,  and  one  representative  for  each  additional  two  thousand 
associate  members  or  major  part  thereof. 


92       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  state  councils  meet  annually  for  the  election  of  state  offi- 
cers and  representatives,  and  for  transacting  such  other  business 
as  may  properly  come  before  them  concerning-  the  Order  and,  par- 
ticularly, local  conditions.  The  state  councils  are  composed  of 
the  state  officers,  known  as  the  State  Deputy,  State  Secretary, 
State  Treasurer,  State  Advocate,  State  Chaplain,  State  Warden, 
and  sometimes  a  State  Lecturer  or  a  State  Auditor,  who  arc 
elected  for  a  term  of  one  year,  and  of  two  representatives  from 
each  subordinate  council  within  the  jurisdiction.  One  represent- 
ative is  the  Grand  Knight  or  chief  officer  of  each  subordinate 
council,  and  the  other  is  elected  from  the  council  at  large. 

Thus  there  are  representatives  from  the  subordinate  councils 
to  the  state  councils,  and  from  the  state  councils  to  the  Supreme 
Council,  the  latter  body  giving  its  executive  and  administrative 
powers  to  the  Supreme  Officers  and  Board  of  Directors,  as  above 
set  forth. 

It  ought  to  be  said  that  Past  Supreme  Knights  and  the  original 
incorporators  of  the  Order  are  entitled  to  full  membership  in  the 
Supreme  Council;  otherwise  the  entire  body  (excepting  also  the 
territorial  deputies)  is  composed  of  men  whose  right  comes 
directly  from  the  vote  of  some  subordinate  body. 

One  of  the  most  important  committees  of  the  Supreme  Board 
of  Directors  is  the  Finance  Committee,  which  has  to  do  with  the 
care  and  investment  of  the  funds  of  the  Order.  Under  the  laws 
of  the  Order  its  investments  are  confined  to  "  such  readily  con- 
vertible, interest-bearing  securities,  fully  registered  in  the  name 
*  Knights  of  Columbus  ',  as  are  or  may  become  by  the  law^s  of 
the  State  of  Connecticut,  legal  investments  for  savings  banks  of 
said  state ;  in  any  bond,  loan  or  other  securities  issued  and  payable 
by  the  United  States ;  also  any  county  or  school  district  bonds  or 
securities ;  and  in  any  other  bonds  or  securities  approved  by  the 
Insurance  Commissioner  of  the  State  of  Connecticut;  or  in  first 
mortgage  loans  on  real  estate  in  any  city  of  more  than  fifty 
thousand  inhabitants,  as  evidenced  by  the  latest  official  census: 
provided,  that  such  mortgage  loan  investment  shall  first  have 
the  approval  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  by  two-thirds  vote  on 


Constitution  and  Government  93 

roll  call,  duly  recorded.  Provided,  however,  that  when  a  deposit 
is  required  by  law  in  any  Province  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
or  in  Newfoundland,  such  bonds  as  are  acceptable  under  the  law 
for  deposit  in  such  jurisdiction  may  be  purchased  and  deposited 
to  comply  with  such  law  ".  Upon  the  investment  of  moneys,  the 
Finance  Committee  is  required  to  publish  in  The  Colnmhiad,  the 
official  organ  of  the  Order,  which  goes  monthly  to  every  member, 
a  detailed  statement  showing  securities  purchased,  prices  paid, 
and  from  whom  purchased. 

The  Board  of  Directors  designates  the  depositories  for  the 
funds  of  the  Order,  and  the  laws  limit  the  deposit  in  any  given 
institution  to  a  sum  not  exceeding  ten  per  cent  of  its  capital.  For 
the  withdrawal  of  funds  for  investment,  the  signatures  of  the 
Supreme  Knight,  Supreme  Secretary,  Supreme  Treasurer,  and 
Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee  are  necessary.  For  the 
withdrawal  of  funds  for  payment  of  death  benefits,  the  signa- 
tures of  the  Supreme  Knight,  Supreme  Secretary  and  Supreme 
Treasurer  are  necessary.  For  the  withdrawal  of  funds  for 
operating  expenses,  the  signatures  of  the  Supreme  Knight, 
Supreme  Secretary  and  Supreme  Treasurer  are  required. 

The  Order  has  now  to  its  credit  as  a  fraternal  benefit  society, 
including  reserve  and  surplus,  nearly  nine  million  dollars.  The 
General  Fund,  which  is  raised  by  a  levy  semi-annually  upon  mem- 
bers, is  for  the  sole  purpose  of  management  of  the  Order  and 
conducting  its  general  activities.  A  large  item  of  expense  is  the 
conferring  of  the  Third  Degree,  and  the  expenses  of  the  State 
Deputy  and  District  Deputy  in  such  cases  is  paid  from  the 
General  Fund.  Money  paid  for  insurance  assessments  is  used 
only  for  payment  of  death  benefits,  no  part  thereof  being  used 
for  maintenence,  management  or  operation,  these  expense  being 
paid  from  the  General  Fund.  Statistics  show  that  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  as  a  corporation,  is  run  on  a  lower  per  capita 
expense  than  any  other  large  society,  the  cost  of  management 
being  about  seventy  cents  per  capita  per  year. 

Occasionally  a  request  is  made  for  voluntary  contributions  for 
a  specific  object,  as  for  instance  the  raising  of  fifty  thousand 


94       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

dollars  for  a  Chair  of  American  History  in  the  Catholic  Uni- 
versity and  later  the  endowment  for  the  same  university  of 
five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  establishment  of  scholar- 
ships; the  raising  of  money  for  calamities  in  various  cities  and 
districts ;  the  raising  of  the  War  Camp  Fund  —  all  voluntary 
contributions,  and  no  penalty  suffered  upon  failure  to  make  pay- 
ment. At  present  the  Order  is  raising  fifty  thousand  dollars  for 
the  erection  of  the  Lafayette  Statue  at  Metz,  to  be  presented  to 
the  Republic  of  France.  Then  there  is  the  Cardinal  Mercier 
Fund,  and  special  funds  for  the  relief  of  sufferers  from  unfore- 
seen calamities  in  Porto  Rico  and  Corpus  Christi.  In  all  of  these 
cases  it  is  simply  a  request  for  contributions,  and  the  funds  are 
not  raised  in  any  sense  by  a  levy  of  assessments. 

The  Supreme  Knight,  Supreme  Secretary,  Supreme  Treasurer 
and  Supreme  Physician  receive  salaries  fixed  from  time  to  time 
by  the  Supreme  Council.  The  Supreme  Adocate  is  paid  upon 
bill  rendered  for  services.  The  Deputy  Supreme  Knight  is  given 
a  per  diem  fixed  by  the  Supreme  Council.  Members  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  receive  a  per  diefn  of  ten  dollars  for  each  day's 
attendance  and  mileage  of  fifteen  cents  per  mile  one  way  to  place 
of  meetings.  Members  of  the  Supreme  Council,  which  meets 
annually,  receive  a  per  diem  of  ten  dollars  and  mileage  of  fifteen 
cents  one  way,  by  most  direct  route.  No  other  compensation  -s 
allowed  except  that  fixed  as  salary  or  per  diem  by  the  Supreme 
Council. 

This,  in  a  necessarily  summarized  form,  constitutes  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  duties  of  the  governmental  personnel  of  the  Knights 
•of  Columbus.  Each  step  in  the  organization,  considered  from 
the  supreme  to  the  subordinate  power  or  vice  versa  displays  a  per- 
fect system  of  check  and  counter-check  and  of  subdivision  of 
responsibilities,  with  principle  of  thorough  autonomy  dominating 
the  entire  scheme.  Such  a  body  as  the  chapter  in  large  cities  and 
districts,  comprising  several  councils,  is  a  spontaneous  union  in 
which  each  council  retains  its  identity,  the  union  being  made  to 
consolidate  local  effectiveness  of  operation,  but  without  any  right 
to  make  laws  or  impose  penalties. 


CHAPTER  VII 
PROTECTING  HOMES 

FOURTEEN  years  before  the  incorporation  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  the  fraternal  beneficiar}^  system  had  its 
inception  in  a  labor  union  with  a  death  benefit  feature, 
established  in  a  small  Pennsylvania  town.  It  was  the  period  in 
the  history  of  insurance  when  "  old  line  "  companies  had  for- 
feited popular  confidence,  mismanagement  having  ruined  scores 
of  established  companies,  with  the  loss  of  millions  in  reserves 
and  hundreds  of  millions  in  insurance.  In  half  a  century  the 
fraternal  societies  developed  to  such  an  extent  that  the  number 
of  benefit  members  is  today  nearly  nine  millions,  with  an  annual 
net  increase  of  approximately  one-third  of  a  million,  paying 
death  benefits  annually  in  an  amount  over  one  hundred  million 
dollars,  and  with  ten  billions  of  dollars  of  insurance  in  force. 
Notwithstanding  this  development  frequent  disasters  have 
befallen  beneficiary  societies,  and  many  have  met  with  trials  and 
vicissitudes.  Many  were  organized  to  live  but  a  few  years  and 
many  went  into  insolvency,  and  those  that  have  survived  are 
endeavoring  to  escape  a  similar  end.  The  failures  can,  with  few 
exceptions,  be  attributed  to  rates  inadequate  for  the  protection 
promised.  Security  was  sacrificed  for  apparent  cheapness. 
There  was  not  a  general  recognition  of  the  fundamental  principle 
of  fraternal  insurance  protection,  that  each  insured  member 
must,  on  the  average,  pay  the  cost  of  his  protection. 

A  glance  over  the  fraternal  insurance  field  discloses  that  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  is  one  of  the  comparatively  few  benefit 
societies  today  recognized  by  State  insurance  departments  as 
actuarially  solvent.  Adhering  to  the  original  aim  and  purpose 
of  the  fraternal  associations  to  supply  the  largest  possible  amount 
of  present  insurance  for  the  smallest  possible  present  outlay,  and 
without  any  investment  feature,  the  primitive  plan  of  operation 
has  developed  into  a  system  of  safe  and  scientific  protection.  Its 
history  is  unique.    After  establishing  its  present  system  of  ade- 

[95] 


96       Tpie  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

quate  rates  nearly  two  decades  ago,  there  was  no  diminution  of 
membership,  as  might  have  been  expected  following  such  a  radi- 
cal change.  Instead  there  has  been  a  steady  increase  in  the 
number  of  insured  members,  and  the  net  gain  for  the  first  eight 
months  of  the  year  1919  w^as  twenty-seven  thousand  insured 
members. 

The  progress  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  as  a  fraternal  benefit 
society  is  a  demonstration  of  the  value  of  a  courageous  and  con- 
servative administration.  The  primary  purpose  of  the  organizers 
was  to  make  effective  a  plan  for  the  rendering  of  aid  and  assist- 
ance to  the  members  of  the  Order  and  their  families.  The  pro- 
viding of  death  benefits  was  not  the  only  object  of  the  organiza- 
tion. There  was  a  desire  to  be  useful  to  the  individual  member 
while  he  was  alive  and  in  need  of  help  and  comfort.  Many  sub- 
ordinate councils  have  made  provision  for  what  are  known  as 
"  sick  benefits." 

As  early  as  1883,  the  Board  of  Government  ruled  that  indi- 
vidual councils  should  be  free  to  determine  the  nature  of  the 
"  sickness  benefit,"  if  any,  to  be  provided,  and  under  the  present 
laws  of  the  Order  any  council  may  "  provide  and  maintain  a  fund 
for  rendering  mutual  aid  and  assistance  to  its  sick,  disabled  and 
needy  members."  It  was  considered  inadvisable  to  create  and 
maintain  a  general  fund  from  which  sickness  or  disability  bene- 
fits should  be  paid. 

The  original  assessment  plan  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was 
the  imposing  on  each  surviving  member  of  a  tax  of  one  dollar 
when  a  death  occurred  in  the  membership,  and  the  sum  thus 
derived,  not  exceeding  one  thousand  dollars,  was  paid  to  the  bene- 
ficiary. As  members  were  not  all  of  the  same  age,  the  system  of 
distribution  of  cost  was  unfair,  the  younger  members  assuming 
a  relatively  greater  burden  than  the  elder.  The  initiation  fees, 
varying  from  three  dollars  for  subordinate  council  charter  mem- 
bers to  eleven  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents  for  applicants  fifty 
years  old,  provided  a  small  sum  for  operating  expenses,  including 
medical  examiner's  fees.  It  is  not  clear  and,  perhaps,  not  impor- 
tant, what  part  of  the  fees  was  paid  in  the  settlement  of  death 


Protecting  Homes  97 

claims.  Each  council  retained  its  initiation  fees,  and  all  funds 
were  kept  in  the  treasuries  of  the  separate  councils.  The  tax 
imposed  on  all  members  of  the  Order  when  the  death  of  a  member 
occurred  was  collected  by  each  council,  and  sums  were  forwarded 
from  all  treasuries  to  the  treasurer  of  the  deceased  member's 
council,  who  paid  the  death  benefit  to  the  person  designated.  The 
records  indicate  that  there  was  always  a  surplus  in  the  various 
council  treasuries  to  meet  mortuary  obligations. 

This  simple  and,  as  will  appear,  defective  plan  of  post-mortem 
collection  was  common  to  many  societies.  The  members  of  the 
organizations  had  perceived  in  the  fraternal  system  a  great  sav- 
ing in  the  cost  of  protection,  most  of  the  work  being  voluntary. 
They  saw  the  palatial  offices,  knew  of  the  princely  incomes  of 
officers  and  witnessed  the  apparently  extravagant  management  of 
"  old  line  "  companies.  Effective  State  regulation  and  supervi- 
sion of  insurance  was  then  comparatively  unknown.  Cognizant  of 
many  defects  in  the  fraternal  system,  members  yet  realized  that 
as  constituents  of  a  beneficiary  society  they  were  the  arbiters  of 
its  destiny,  and  that  if  mistakes  were  made  and  if  failure  overtook 
them,  they  could  at  least  see  to  it  that  the  only  loss  would  be  that 
of  protection  and  there  would  be  no  millions  for  a  receivership. 
Many  of  them  did  not  perceive  that  the  plan  of  post-mortem  col- 
lection of  the  cost  of  protection  has  an  inherent  weakness  in  that 
the  individual  member  could,  if  he  chose,  refuse  to  pay  the  assess- 
ment levied  by  his  organization.  There  was  no  practical  means 
of  insuring  collections.  The  fraternal  organizations,  on  account 
of  ''  recent  selection  "  of  risks,  had  a  low  mortality  experience  for 
the  first  few  years  of  operation.  Then  followed  a  period  during 
which  the  mortality  was  normal.  If  a  large  number  of  new  mem- 
bers were  admitted  each  year,  the  mortality  was  below  normal. 
Conversely,  if  new  members  did  not  come  in,  the  mortality  rate 
increased  and  there  was  a  consequent  increase  in  the  number  of 
mortuary  assessments.  Each  member  then  decided  for  himself  as 
to  whether  he  should  continue  to  meet  the  assessments  or  allow 
his  membership  to  lapse.  If  he  was  young,  and  believed  himself 
to  be  in  good  health,  and  was  confident  that  he  could  obtain  pro- 


98       The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

tection  elsewhere  at  less  cost,  he  was  very  apt  to  drop  out.  Older 
members  and  those  in  ill  health,  as  a  rule,  retained  membership. 
This  is  technically  known  as  "  adverse  selection,"  or  selection 
against  the  society,  the  baneful  effects  of  which  can  be  offset  only 
by  the  establishment  of  an  adequate  rate  system  which  will  permit 
the  accumulation  of  a  reserve. 

The  mortality  rate  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  for  the  first 
few  years  of  its  existence  was  very  low.  However,  the  per  capita 
taxation  plan  then  in  effect  was  considered  objectionable.  The 
younger  members  feared  that  the  greater  advantages  offered  to 
older  members  would  result  in  an  abnormal  increase  in  the 
number  of  members  of  more  advanced  age,  with  a  subsequent 
higher  mortality  rate.  Such  a  condition  had  a  tendency  to  cause 
younger  members  to  withdraw,  and  made  difficult  the  recruiting 
of  young  men.  It  was  seen  that  if  the  Order  was  to  become 
firmly  established  it  was  necessary  that  there  should  be  a  normal 
annual  addition  of  younger  members.  In  1886,  four  years  after 
incorporation,  an  important  change  in  the  assessment  law  was 
adopted.  All  members  of  each  council  were  assessed  in  the  same 
sum,  but  each  council  was  assessed  in  a  different  amount,  vary- 
ing as  the  average  age  of  its  membership  was  greater  or  less 
than  the  average  age  of  the  total  membership  of  the  Order. 
The  pro  rata  assessment  was  three  per  cent,  more  than  the 
amount  of  the  standard  for  each  year  in  which  the  average  age 
of  the  council  exceeded  the  average  age  of  the  Order's  entire 
membership  and  three  per  cent,  less  for  each  year  under  the 
Order's  average.  The  assessments  were  levied  on  the  first  day 
of  each  month,  and  in  such  amount  as  was  needed  to  pay  current 
mortality  losses. 

At  this  time  a  plan  was  effected  for  transacting  business 
through  the  national  officers,  the  General  Secretary  and  General 
Treasurer,  the  latter  thereafter  paying  all  death  benefits. 

In  1887  the  Order  made  it  possible  for  insured  members  to 
carry  policies  for  either  $1000,  $2000  or  $3000.  The  amended 
plan  by  which  councils  were  assessed  per  member  was  almost 
as  defective  as  the  original  plan  of  taxing  each  member  one 


Protecting  Homes  99 

dollar  per  death.  Both  were  obviously  unfair.  The  second  plan 
was  based  on  mere  conjecture;  it  was  unscientific  and  wrong  in 
principle.  It  may  be  considered  doubtful,  however,  if  at  that 
time  it  would  have  been  possible  for  a  newly  organized  society 
to  secure  popular  support  of  a  rigidly  scientific  plan.  Loose 
thinking  was  the  rule  regarding  fraternal  insurance.  Few 
recognized  the  necessity  of  a  legal  reserve,  now  universally 
admitted.  Many  states  have  made  a  legal  mortuary  reserve  fund 
obligatory  for  all  insurance  bodies. 

The  younger  members  benefited  appreciably  by  amendments 
to  the  law  in  1891  which  related  particularly  to  the  mode  of 
determining  the  assessments  of  the  individual  members.  The 
average  age  of  all  members  remained  the  standard,  but  each 
member  was  allowed  to  discount  three  per  cent,  for  each  year 
that  he  was  younger  than  the  average,  or  was  compelled  to  add 
three  per  cent,  for  each  year  that  he  was  older.  However, 
instead  of  taking  the  actual  deaths  as  they  occurred  and  assessing 
for  them  seriatim,  there  was  an  arbitrary  assumption  that  there 
would  be  a  death  loss  of  ten  members  per  thousand  for  the  fol- 
lowing year.  The  proportion  for  each  member  was  determined 
accordingly,  and  assessments  were  levied  monthly.  Yet,  under 
this  plan,  the  unfairness  of  payments  based  on  the  average  age 
of  a  council  was  measurably  avoided. 

This  supposedly  improved  system  was  founded  on  a  fallacy. 
The  assessing  of  members  for  so  many  deaths  per  thousand, 
without  regard  whatever  for  the  future,  was  unscientific.  The 
elder  members,  under  this  plan,  still  enjoyed  an  unfair  advant- 
age. It  was  one-year  term  insurance  masquerading  as  level 
rate  life  insurance,  and  with  unevenly  distributed  rates.  Thus, 
members  of  age  twenty-one  were  supposed  to  pay  for  the  annual 
benefits  that  would  accrue  from  deaths  of  members  of  that  age, 
and  all  of  age  twenty-two  for  annual  benefits  in  their  class,  and 
so  on.  The  rates  were  unscientific  and  the  result  was  that  mem- 
bers of  ages  eighteen  to  thirty  made  over-payment,  and  members 
of  ages  thirty  and  upward  were  not  assessed  in  the  full  amount 
for  the  protection  afforded.     The  law  of  1891  also  empowered 


100      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  Order  to  levy  extra  assessments  in  case  the  regular  assess- 
ments were  insufficient  to  meet  death  benefit  claims,  and  three 
such  extra  assessments  were  subsequently  levied.  An  organi- 
zation which  writes  into  its  laws  a  safety  clause  of  this  character 
strengthens  substantially  the  protective  features  of  its  contracts 
of  insurance,  and  it  is  enabled  to  carry  out  its  promise  to  pay 
death  benefits  for  those  who  shall  have  fulfilled  their  con- 
tractual obligations.  The  laws  of  the  Order  have  retained  this 
advantageous  provision. 

During  the  first  ten  years  of  the  Order's  existence  all  assess- 
ment laws  had  for  their  object  the  raising  of  sufficient  money 
to  pay  for  ordinary  annual  losses.  On  June  30,  1892,  a  law  was 
passed  which  provided  expressly  for  the  accumulating  of  a 
reserve  fund,  available  "  for  the  purpose  of  paying  such  mortu- 
ary claims  in  any  one  year,  as  are  over  and  above  the  ordinary 
number  of  mortuary  claims  (based  upon  the  American  Expe- 
rience Table),  as  many  occur  by  reason  of  epidemics  or  other 
extraordinary  causes  and  events."  Each  insured  member  was 
assessed  five  dollars  for  each  one  thousand  dollars  of  death 
benefit,  payable  in  monthly  installments  of  ten  cents  each.  The 
accumulations  were  paid  into  the  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund, 
so-called,  which  amounted  to  $165,365,  on  January  1,  1902. 

No  important  changes  were  made  in  the  laws  from  1892  to 
1897.  In  the  latter  year  a  law  was  passed  directing  that  the  sur- 
plus which  had  accumulated  from  regular  assessments  paid  on  the 
arbitrary  assumption  of  ten  deaths  per  thousand  members  should 
constitute  the  Surplus  Death  Benefit  Fund,  to  be  held  and  invested 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund,  but  with  the 
provision  that  said  fund  might  be  used  to  meet  ordinary  death 
claims.    This  fund  amounted  to  $405,754.41  on  January  1,  1902. 

There  had  been  a  large  influx  of  new  members,  many  of 
whom  were  young  men,  after  changes  were  made  in  the  laws 
of  1892.  The  acceptance  of  these  risks  of  "  recent  selection  " 
resulted  in  the  mortality  of  the  Order  being  extremely  low  for 
a  number  of  years.  Prior  to  1901,  the  leaders  of  the  organi- 
zation had  given  serious  consideration  to  the  insecure  founda- 


^  t^. 


THE  KNIGrHTS    OF  COmMBOS  IM  MEAOE  AMD  'VmM^ 


i 


Protecting  Homes  101 

tion  on  which  the  insurance  structure  of  the  Order  had  been 
raised.  Inequalities  in  the  system  of  assessments  were  realized, 
and,  further,  the  Order  had  been  collecting  mortuary  assess- 
ments aggregating  only  about  one-half  the  amount  required  to 
maintain  solvency.  Notwithstanding  the  accumulation  in  the 
two  reserve  funds,  it  was  evident  that  the  twelve  regular  assess- 
ments as  then  levied  annually,  would  be  insufficient  to  meet  death 
claims  as  they  would  arise  in  the  future,  and  while  extra  assess- 
ments might  legally  be  levied,  there  w^ere  practical  as  well  as 
scientific  objections  to  such  a  method.  In  a  few  years  failure 
would  have  been  inevitable.  The  organization  was  fortunate  in 
applying  the  remedy  at  that  time.  It  w^as  one  of  the  few  benefit 
societies  that  early  learned  a  lesson  from  the  experience  of  fra- 
ternal organizations.  It  decided  in  1901  to  change  its  rates  and 
adopt  a  scientific  assessment  system.  To  do  this  in  the  face  of 
an  attractive  surplus  was  a  delicate  problem.  But  it  was  done, 
anticipating  by  more  than  ten  years  State  legislation  regulating 
fraternal  benefit  societies. 

At  the  special  meeting  of  the  National  Council  held  at  Clifif 
Haven,  in  1901,  the  Step-Rate  Plan  now  in  operation  was  adopted. 
This  plan  was  devised  by  Mr.  David  Parks  Fackler,  some- 
time President  of  the  Actuarial  Society  of  America,  and  to  this 
day  the  Consulting  Actuary  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  Later 
Mr.  Fackler  wrote  of  the  revolutionary  change  in  the  Order's 
insurance  system,  as  follows:  "  Great  honor  and  credit  are  due 
to  the  Committee  on  Insurance  Rates,  to  Mr.  Edward  L.  Hearn, 
the  Supreme  Knight,  and  to  the  members  of  the  Supreme  Coun- 
cil in  1901.  Without  their  concurrent  action  the  Order  could 
not  have  been  put  upon  its  present  strong  and  scientific  basis. 
Great  credit  is  also  due  to  the  mass  of  the  members  of  the  Order, 
who  almost  unanimously  acquiesced  in  the  decision  of  their 
chosen  representatives,  though  to  some  of  them  it  caused 
hardship." 

This  Step-Rate  Plan,  which  is  similar  to  the  renewable  term 
plan  of  "  old  line "  companies,  was  devised  to  inform  each 
member  of  the  maximum  that  he  would  have  to  pay  during  his 
8 


102      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

life  for  each  assessment,  and  to  assure  him  that  his  death  benefit 
is  secure  whether  the  Order  increases  or  decreases  in  the  number 
of  insured  members.  The  insured  members  were  divided  into 
classes  for  the  purpose  of  assessment,  the  classes  being  deter- 
mined by  ages  of  members.  The  cost  of  protection  of  each  class 
was  calculated  by  the  actuary,  and  each  class  was  assessed  the 
cost  of  its  own  protection.  The  assessments  increase  progres- 
sively, as  the  members  step  from  one  class  into  the  next  higher, 
and  this  increase  was  arbitrarily  fixed  to  come  at  the  end  of  each 
five-year  period.  On  attaining  age  sixty,  term  rates  cease  and 
the  member  pays  a  level  whole  life  rate.  The  Canada  Life 
Table,  which  is  known  as  a  low-rate  table  of  mortality,  was  used. 

On  January  1,  1902,  all  members  began  paying  the  new  rates, 
based  on  their  then  attained  ages,  with  the  exception  of  those 
over  sixty,  who  were  taken  in  as  of  age  sixty.  There  was  a  con- 
siderable increase  in  the  amount  of  the  assessments  between  the 
last  term  rates  prior  to  age  sixty  and  the  level  whole  life  rates 
for  members  who  attained  the  rated  age  of  sixty  years.  This 
rather  large  increase  in  rates  was  deemed  inadvisable,  and  to 
avoid  it  the  term  rates  were  "  loaded  "  by  including  in  each 
assessment  the  additional  sum  of  thirty  cents,  the  accumulations 
to  be  used  in  the  reduction  of  the  level  rate  assessments  for  mem- 
bers on  attaining  the  rated  age  of  sixty  years.  The  "  loading  " 
was  not  a  real  increase  of  rates;  it  was  a  liability  on  the  part 
of  the  Order  which  it  later  had  to  meet.  It  merely  relieved  the 
member  from  the  hardship  which  would  come  to  him  when  he 
would  reach  the  level  rate  age.  It  was  somewhat  analogous  to 
the  "  load "  of  ten  cents  a  month  for  fifty  months  under  the 
Mortuary  Reserve  Fund  Law  of  1892.  The  real  increase  in 
rates  was  for  the  then  insured  members  who  were  thirty  years 
old  and  upwards,  and  there  was  an  actual  decrease  in  rates  for 
members  less  than  thirty  years  old. 

An  equitable  distribution  of  the  cost  of  protection  was  thereby 
made  effective,  and  while  the  rates  for  many  of  the  older  mem- 
bers at  that  time  had  been  increased  to  a  substantial  amount, 
it  was  but  the  logical  consequence  of  the  application  of  the  prin- 


Protecting  Homes  103 

ciple  of  justice  for  all  members.  The  older  members  had  been 
obtaining  insurance  protection  at  a  ridiculously  low  cost.  They 
no  longer  had  an  undue  advantage  over  the  younger  members 
in  the  matter  of  rates,  but  they  did  secure  permanent  protection, 
which  was  of  greater  value  to  them  than  "  cheap  "  rates.  More- 
over, they  were  taken  over  without  undergoing  a  new  medical 
examination,  with  the  result  that  there  was  a  higher  risk  for 
the  Order  than  it  was  calculated  might  develop.  The  experi- 
ence of  the  Order  since  has  been  a  higher  mortality  for  those 
who  were  so  taken  over,  as  compared  w^th  members  of  cor- 
responding ages  admitted  subsequent  to  January  1,  1902,  illus- 
trating the  principles  of  '*  adverse  selection  "  and  of  "  recent 
selection,"  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made.  Some 
had  been  in  the  Order  for  nearly  twenty  years,  but  the  majority 
had  been  admitted  after  1892,  or  nine  years  before  the  law  was 
amended.  All  had  received  protection,  and  under  the  old  plan 
it  had  been  paid  for  in  greater  measure  by  the  younger  members 
than  by  the  older.  The  new  plan  placed  protection  on  an  endur- 
ing basis,  each  member  paying,  on  the  average,  the  cost  of  his 
own  protection. 

Upon  the  advice  of  the  actuary,  the  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund 
and  the  Surplus  Death  Benefit  Fund  were  taken  over  by  a  new 
by-law  into  a  new  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund,  in  which  all  future 
accumulations  were  to  be  carried,  and  which  was  the  nucleus  of 
the  reserve  upon  which  permanent  protection  necessarily 
depends.  The  progress  made  as  a  result  of  these  reforms  is 
illustrated  by  a  comparison  of  statistics  as  of  January  1,  1902, 
and  January  1,  1919.  The  period  covered  by  the  old  plans  was 
something  more  than  nineteen  years.  The  period  covered  by 
the  present  Step-Rate  plan  is  seventeen  years.  On  January  1, 
1902,  there  were  32,790  insured  members;  the  funds  of  the 
Order  available  for  payment  of  death  benefits  aggregated  $571,- 
119.41.  The  average  age  of  the  members  was  thirty-four  years. 
On  January  1,  1919,  the  number  of  insured  members  was  128,- 
935.  The  membership  had  nearly  quadrupled.  The  Mortuary 
Reserve  and  Death  Benefit  Funds  aggregated  $8,740,276.15,  or 


104      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

more  than  fifteen  times  the  amount  at  the  end  of  the  first  period. 
The  average  age  of  the  members  was  thirty-five  years.  There 
was  only  $17.42  per  capita  reserve  at  the  end  of  the  first  period 
as  compared  with  $67.78  per  capita  reserve  at  the  end  of  the 
second  period,  in  which  there  is  clearly  shown  a  rehabilitation 
of  the  Order,  a  graduation  "  from  an  epoch  of  incipient  insol- 
vency to  one  of  business  stability." 

Since  1902,  the  Order  has  occupied  an  enviable  place  in  the 
fraternal  beneficiary  system.  Other  organizations  were  cogni- 
zant of  the  weaknesses  in  their  plans  of  insurance  protection 
resulting  from  inadequate  rate  systems.  The  leaders  of  many 
other  organizations  had  frankly  acknowledged  the  dangers,  but 
only  a  few  of  them  were  able  to  bring  about  a  timely  readjust- 
ment of  rates  to  avoid  disaster.  Many  failed.  Fraternal  soci- 
eties have  always  been  favorites  of  legislative  bodies,  and  until 
late  years  there  has  not  been  a  strict  supervision  of  fraternals 
by  State  insurance  departments.  The  tendency  of  remedial  legis- 
lation during  the  past  decade  has  been  to  decline  to  permit 
organizations  to  do  business  unless  they  fulfill  strict  require- 
ments. This  is  pressure  from  without,  whereas  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  insurance  system  was  revolutionized  from  within, 
despite  protest  by  older  members  who  had  benefited  under  the 
previous  unscientific  plans  for  distribution  of  the  cost  of 
protection. 

The  Order  had  more  than  doubled  its  insurance  membership 
when,  in  May,  1909,  Patrick  Kane,  who  had  been  an  insurance 
member  of  the  Order  since  1885,  brought  suit  in  the  Connecticut 
courts,  joining  with  him  all  members  who  belonged  to  the  organi- 
zation prior  to  1902.  and  who  were  alive  and  still  members,  and 
contending,  among  other  things,  that  the  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund 
of  1892  and  the  Surplus  Death  Benefit  Fund  of  1897  should  be 
distributed  among  such  members.  The  plaintiffs  in  the  case  were 
represented  by  Mr.  John  J.  Phelan,  Past  Supreme  Knight  of 
the  Order,  Mr.  Miles  M.  Dawson,  Mr.  John  J.  Cullinan  and 
Mr.  A.  C.  Harwich ;  the  defendants,  by  Mr.  Joseph  C.  Pelletier, 
Supreme  Advocate  of  the  Order,  Mr.  William  Kennedy  and 
Mr.  Francis  T.  Leahv. 


Protecting  Homes  105 

The  brief  for  the  defendants  set  up  many  valid  defences  in 
law.  With  the  decision,  statement  of  facts,  and  opinion  written 
by  Mr.  Justice  Wheeler  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Errors  of  Con- 
necticut, it  made  a  book  of  more  than  one  hundred  pages.  The 
brief  recited  the  facts  and  the  position  of  the  plaintiifs  and  the 
defenses  in  law  to  the  suit,  and  the  arguments  were  presented  in 
logical  order  and  with  clearness  that  made  inescapable  the  con- 
viction that  the  funds  were  not  accumulated  for  the  exclusive 
benefit  of  the  contributors  and  their  beneficiaries,  but  accumu- 
lated and  held  as  trust  funds  of  the  Order,  and,  further,  that 
the  law  ''  is  not  prone  to  put  obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  plan  check- 
ing imminent  disaster;  "  that  "  it  is  not  eager  to  fashion  vague 
and  imaginary  contract  rights  into  screens  that  will  protect 
unbusiness-like,  if  not  fraudulent,  schemes,  whether  they  be  dis- 
guised under  the  name  of  fraternal  insurance  or  otherwise,"  and 
that  it  "is  not  disposed  to  put  limitations  on  corporate  authority 
which  will  endanger  the  very  life  of  the  corporation  itself." 

The  case  was  reserved  on  the  request  of  parties  on  a  finding 
of  facts  for  the  advice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Errors  of  Con- 
necticut upon  two  questions: 

"  First.  Does  the  defendant  corporation  hold  the  funds  in 
suit  upon  a  trust,  other  than  a  trust  in  favor  of  all  the  insured 
members  and  their  beneficiaries? 

"  Second.  Should  there  be  an  accounting  and  apportionment, 
distribution  and  application  of  such  funds,  the  manner  and 
method  to  be  determined  by  the  trial  court?  " 

The  trial  court  was  advised  that  each  question  was  to  be 
answered  in  the  negative.  Mr.  Justice  Wheeler  said,  in  his 
opinion : 

Contributors  to  the  funds  have  an  interest  and  a  property  interest  in 
them  through  their  right  to  designate  the  beneficiary  and  secure  the  transfer 
to  that  beneficiary  of  a  valuable  property,  and  through  their  right  to  compel 
the  execution  of  the  trusts  to  their  purposes. 

The  reserve  adds  to  the  security  of  their  contract  of  insurance  and  makes 
more  valuable  their  rights  as  certificate  holders. 

While  the  Order  endures  and  the  trusts  exist  and  the  contributors  ful- 
fill their  contracts  of  insurance  their  interest  in  these  funds  is  limited  to 


106      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  right  to  endow  their  beneficiaries  and  compel  the  preservation  of  the 
funds  and  the  maintenance  of  the  trusts,  upon  which  may  ultimately  rest 
the  solvency  of  the  Order  and  the  safety  of  its  contracts  of  insurance. 

To  render  aid  and  assistance  to  their  members,  not  only  to  those  con- 
tributing to  the  fund,  but  to  all  who  might  become  members  during  the 
life  of  the  funds  was  their  purpose.  Their  underlying  purpose  was  pro- 
tection to  their  members  in  securing  the  ultimate  payment  to  their  benefici- 
aries of  their  death  benefits. 

The  rates  of  assessment  prior  to  1902,  were  not  sufficient  to  meet  out- 
standing benefits  as  they  might  mature.  The  plan  was  based  upon  age, 
but  not  classified  on  sound  insurance  principles. 

The  charter  power  to  create  a  reserve  and  issue  death  benefits  furnished 
the  authority  to  make  its  contracts  of  insurance  capable  of  fulfillment  in 
accordance  with  sound  insurance  principles  by  charging  adequate  rates 
and  providing  proper  security  for  the  performance  of  its  contracts  through 
the  accumulation  of  funds  to  meet  the  contingency  of  unexpected  losses. 

The  plan  has  been  in  force  since  Januar}^  i,  1902;  it  is  too  late  to  attack- 
such  an  irregularity.  Nor  could  these  plaintiffs  now  secure  the  aid  of  a 
court  of  equity.  They  have  continued  their  membership,  actively  shared  in 
this  plan  of  insurance,  and  done  nothing  in  denial  of  it  except  enter  an 
occasional  protest  for  the  failure  to  apportion  the  funds  in  reduction  of 
assessments  upon  them. 

Since  the  power  of  revocation  was  not  reserved  the  Order  may  not 
revoke  these  trusts,  nor  does  it  invoke  such  a  right.  On  the  contrary  its 
claim  is  that  these  were  trust  funds,  which  may  not  be  and  have  not  been 
diverted  from  the  purposes  of  the  trust,  and  which  have  not  failed  by  their 
abandonment,  but  still  exist,  devoted  to  the  same  purposes  and  objects 
under  the  step  rate  plan  as  before. 

The  contributors  contend  that  the  trusts  have  failed  since  their  purpose 
has  been  abandoned  and  the  funds  been  diverted.  They  point  out  that 
contributions  to  these  funds  have  ceased  and  assert  that  the  finding  sub- 
stantiates that  these  funds  are  not  needed  to  pay  death  benefits,  as  the 
new  plan  amply  provides  for  all  contingencies. 

These  trust  funds  have  been  transferred  to  a  common  fund,  to  which 
all  surplus  accumulations  under  the  new  plan  go.  If  the  purpose  of  the 
new  fund  is  that  of  the  old  funds,  contributions  to  them  have  not  ceased, 
but  are  going  on. 

When  some  extraordinary  cause  occasions  the  maturity  of  many  death 
claims  in  excess  of  the  ordinary  resources  this  fund  may  be  drawn  on. 

It  was  for  such  purpose  the  Mortuar}^  Reserve  Fund  of  1892  was  created. 
It  was  not  available  for  ordinary  death  losses,  nor  for  the  excess  of  losses 
happening  through  ordinary  causes. 


Protecting  Homes  107 

All  of  this  fund,  the  part  arising  through  the  accumulation  of  the  step 
rate  plan  and  the  part  arising  from  the  transfer  to  it  of  these  trust  funds, 
is  available  for  any  deficit  either  to  meet  ordinary  claims  or  extraordinary 
claims.  The  Surplus  Death  Benefit  Fund  might  properly  be  devoted  to 
such  purposes.  The  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund  could  not.  Its  sole  purpose 
was  to  meet  the  death  losses  from  extraordinary  causes;  it  could  not  be 
used  to  meet  death  losses  arising  in  ordinar}^  course. 

The  transfer  of  this  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund  to  a  fund  applicable  to 
either  the  purpose  of  the  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund,  or  that  of  the  Surplus 
Death  Benefit  Fund,  was  a  violation  of  the  purpose  of  the  fund  and  con- 
stituted an  illegal  diversion  of  the  trust. 

Though  this  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund  has  been  illegally  diverted,  it 
does  not  follow  that  its  contributors  are  entitled  to  its  distribution,  or  to 
have  it  set  apart  for  their  ultimate  benefit.  In  any  event  it  must  be  set 
apart  and  returned  to  the  original  Mortuar>'  Reserve  Fund  and  held  for  the 
purposes  of  its  creation. 

When  it  definitely  appears  that  its  purposes  have  failed,  or  that  the  fund 
will  never  be  required  to  meet  the  contingency  of  its  existence,  that  is  that 
the  Order  will  never  suffer  unusual  losses  from  extraordinary  causes  or 
events,  it  will  be  proper  to  seek  the  aid  of  a  court  of  equity  when  the  cor- 
poration has  refused  or  neglected,  on  request,  to  distribute  this  fund. 
When  and  how  this  fund  shall  be  distributed  may  well  be  left  for  deter- 
mination when  that  situation  arises. 

Courts  are  reluctant  to  interfere  with  a  matter  of  internal  management 
of  a  benefit  assoc-'ation  unless  the  order  itself  refuses  or  neglects  to  per- 
form its  duty. 

It  had  been  argued  by  counsel  for  the  defendants  that  while 
the  bill  was  for  an  accounting  and  for  judgment  in  the  sum  due 
the  plaintiffs,  the  only  decree  that  could  be  entered  as  to  the 
Mortuary  Reserve  Fund  was  one  reviving  the  former  trust.  In 
accordance  with  the  decision  in  the  case,  the  fund  was  set  apart 
and  returned  to  the  original  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund,  and  held 
for  the  purpose  of  its  creation. 

The  epidemic  of  influenza  during  the  winter  of  1918-1919 
caused  a  doubling  of  the  mortality  rate  of  the  Order  for  the 
year  1918.  Hundreds  of  insured  members  died  from  the  epi- 
demic, and  upon  the  advice  of  the  Supreme  Advocate,  the  Order 
utilized  the  whole  amount  of  the  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund  of 
1892  in  meeting  death  losses  from  this  extraordinary  cause.    In 


108      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

fact,  the  losses  from  the  epidemic  resulted  in  payments  of  death 
claims  in  an  amomit  greater  than  the  aggregate  of  the  two  funds 
in  the  suit.  The  trust  arising  from  the  law  of  1892  creating  the 
Mortuary  Reserve  Fund  was  thereby  fulfilled  by  paying  death 
claims  that  occurred  by  reason  of  an  epidemic. 

The  speculativeness  of  life  insurance  makes  necessary  the 
providing  in  some  measure  for  the  contingencies  of  war,  pesti- 
lence, or  other  calamity.  And  to  a  reasonable  extent  the  present 
system  of  adequate  rates  enables  the  Order  to  maintain  a  ratio 
of  assets  to  liabilities,  as  actuarially  determined,  which  gives 
security.  The  experience  of  the  Order  during  1917  and  1918 
demonstrates  this. 

To  offset  the  accumulation  of  funds  in  excess  of  the  amount 
which  in  all  probability  will  be  required  to  meet  future  death 
losses,  the  Order,  upon  advice  of  its  actuary,  has  waived  regular 
death  benefit  assessments  whenever  this  was  justified  by  the 
legal  reserve  surplus.  In  accordance  with  this  plan,  from  1909 
to  1916,  inclusive,  the  Order  omitted  some  of  the  regular  death 
benefit  assessments.  In  1910  and  in  1916  two  of  the  twelve 
regular  death  benefit  assessments  were  waived,  and  in  each  of 
the  other  years  one  regular  death  benefit  assessment  was 
omitted.  The  annual  cost  of  protection  for  insured  members 
during  this  period  was  less  than  the  amount  that  members  had 
been  informed  they  would  be  required  to  pay  under  the  Step- 
Rate  Plan.  A  very  favorable  death  rate  for  members  under 
forty-five  years  old  aided  in  making  this  possible,  the  mortality 
for  members  of  this  age  being  less  than  calculated  by  the  actu- 
ary, and  indicating  in  some  degree  the  high  quality  of  risks 
accepted  for  insurance  in  the  Order. 

Death  losses  of  insured  members  during  the  War  and  from 
influenza  made  it  impracticable  to  waive  assessments  during  the 
past  three  years,  but  the  present  ratio  of  assets  to  liabilities  gives 
assurance  that,  while  it  has  not  been  wise  to  waive  assessments, 
there  is  no  necessity  for  levying  extra  assessments  to  meet  losses 
or  to  provide  for  future  obligations.  The  Step-Rate  Plan  has 
stood  the  test  of  adverse  conditions. 


Protecting  Homes  109 

Those  members  whose  assessments  were  high  naturally  wel- 
comed the  relief  afforded  by  an  omission  of  assessments.  But 
many  insured  members  of  advanced  age  who  had  been  paying 
the  level  rates  found  it  a  hardship  to  meet  the  regular  assess- 
ments, so  in  1909  the  Order  adopted  the  Economic  Plan,  whereby 
those  who  were  unable  to  pay  assessments  on  the  Level  Whole 
Life  Plan  might  continue  their  insurance  protection  in  an  amount 
less  than  $1,000.  The  rates  on  the  Economic  Plan  are  very  much 
less  than  the  rates  on  the  Level  Whole  Life  Plan.  Moreover, 
regular  death  benefit  assessments  are  not  required  to  be  paid 
after  the  insured  member  attains  the  rated  age  of  seventy  years. 
In  consideration  of  this,  each  $1,000  of  death  benefit  is  reduced 
by  $50  when  the  member  attains  the  rated  age  of  sixty-one  years, 
and  also  by  $50  on  each  succeeding  January  first  until  in  this 
manner  it  is  reduced  to  $250,  at  which  amount  it  stands.  This 
plan  enables  members  whose  incomes  are  small  and  whose 
responsibilities  to  dependents  have  diminished  through  changed 
family  conditions,  to  retain  insurance  protection  in  an  amount 
which  reduces  annually  until  it  becomes  paid-up  insurance,  in 
the  sum  of  $250  for  each  $1,000  of  original  death  benefit. 

The  Step-Rate  Plan  aims  to  give  maximum  protection  at  mini- 
mum cost  to  men  who  have,  on  the  average,  greater  responsi- 
bilities to  dependents  early  in  life  than  they  have  during  later 
years.  The  children  in  the  average  family  are  self-supporting 
when  insured  members  reach  the  level-rate  paying  age,  and  it 
is  then  optional  with  members  whether  they  will  carry  the  full 
amount  of  protection  or  allow  the  amount  of  death  benefit  to  be 
decreased  progressively. 

But  further  improvements  were  yet  to  be  made.  In  1914 
other  amendments  were  made  to  the  law.  Of  these  and  of  the 
society,  Mr.  Burton  Mansfield,  Insurance  Commissioner  of  Con- 
necticut, later  said:  "This  society  [the  Knights  of  Columbus] 
is  to  be  commended  for  adopting  adequate  rates  in  1901,  as  soon 
as  this  department  said  that  its  rates  were  not  safe;  and  also 
for  adopting  the  Fraternal  American  Table,  so  that  under  the 
Mobile  Law  its  old  members  who  retire  can  have  paid  up  insur- 


110      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

ance  and  other  withdrawal  equities,  and  all  can  arrange  to  have 
their  assessments  cease  at  age  seventy  along  with  their  earning 
power.  *  *  *  ^j^  excellent  financial  condition  prevails, 
investments  are  well  selected,  death  claims  are  promptly  paid, 
and  the  affairs  of  this  society  are  carefully  administered." 

It  was  made  possible  for  insured  members  to  have  a  certifi- 
cate fully  paid  up,  payable  at  death,  at  age  seventy;  it  was  made 
possible  for  members  who  desired  to  continue  their  insurance  on 
the  Level  Whole  Life  Plan  to  assume  part  of  the  burden  of 
heavier  cost  beginning  at  age  fifty-five  instead  of  age  sixty; 
it  was  made  possible  for  members  to  select  the  Economic  Plan 
at  age  fifty-five,  instead  of  at  age  sixty.  Those  who  .vere  at  that 
time  of  attained  ages  fifty-six  to  sixty,  inclusive,  were  also  per- 
mitted to  select  either  the  Regular  Level  Fifteen- Year  Plan,  with 
certificate  fully  paid  up  after  fifteen  3'ears  full  payments,  or  the 
level  Whole  Life  Plan  or  the  Economic  Plan.  The  "  loading  " 
of  the  step  rates  makes  all  level  rates  much  less  than  the  rates  at 
which  new  and  similar  insurance  can  be  procured  for  at  age 
fifty-five.  The  level  rates  for  a  member  who  entered  on  the  step- 
rates  when  young  in  life  are,  of  course,  much  lower  than  level 
rates  for  members  who  take  out  insurance  late  in  life. 

All  members  who  desired  to  remain  on  the  step-rate  plan  to 
age  sixty  and  then  make  a  selection  of  either  the  Level  Whole 
Life  Plan  or  the  Economic  Plan,  were  required  to  notify  the 
Supreme  Secretary  on  or  before  November  1,  1914.  Other- 
wise, on  attaining  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  the  member  would 
be  recorded  on  the  Regular  Level  Fifteen- Year  Plan.  A  member 
continuing  his  insurance  on  this  plan  has  his  certificate  fully 
paid  up,  payable  at  death,  at  age  seventy.  Or  members  were 
privileged  to  select  the  Level  Whole  Life  Plan  from  age  fifty- 
five,  paying  regular  death  benefit  assessments  for  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  and  with  insurance  protection  in  the  full  amount 
of  certificate.  Or,  they  might  select  the  Elconomic  Plan  from 
age  fifty-five,  with  a  very  low  rate  to  age  seventy,  and  with  the 
certificate  remaining  in  the  full  amount  to  age  sixty-one,  after 
which  age  it  would  diminish  annually  in  the  sum  of  $50  for  each 


Protecting  Homes  111 

$1,000  of  insurance  until  the  member  attained  the  rated  age  of 
seventy-five  years,  the  certificate  then  being  payable  at  death 
in  the  sum  of  $250,  for  each  $1,000  of  original  death  benefit. 

At  the  same  time  the  law  was  further  amended  to  permit  the 
Order  to  issue  certificates  of  paid-up  insurance  in  reduced 
amount,  or  temporarily  extended  insurance  in  the  full  amount, 
after  members  paid  the  level  rates  for  two  or  more  years.  So 
that  not  only  had  all  insured  members  who  had  been  paying  the 
level  rates  received  protection  in  the  full  amounts  of  their  cer- 
tificates, but  in  addition  thereto  they  had  been  building  up  valu- 
able withdrawal  equities,  available  in  the  way  of  paid-up  or  tem- 
porary extended  insurance  upon  their  discontinuing  the  payment 
of  regular  death  benefit  assessments.  These  withdrawal  equity 
certificates  are  granted  upon  condition  that  the  holder  retains 
membership  in  good  standing  in  the  Order;  but  he  is  then  no 
longer  required  to  pay  regular  death  benefit  assessments.  There 
was  also  written  into  the  laws  a  provision  whereby  members  may 
make  application  for  partial  credits  to  aid  in  the  payment  of 
regular  death  benefit  assessments.  These  partial  credits  are 
available  to  all  members  paying  level  rates.  The  credit  extended 
is  a  lien  on  the  benefit  certificate  of  the  insured  member.  He  is 
required  to  pay  interest  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent,  per  annum 
in  December  of  each  year  on  all  outstanding  indebtedness  to  the 
Order  by  reason  of  such  credits.  If  he  does  not  make  repay- 
ment of  credit  extended,  it  is  deducted  from  the  amount  pay- 
able to  beneficiary  under  the  terms  of  his  certificate. 

On  April  16,  1917,  after  the  United  States  had  declared  war 
against  Germany,  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors  voted  to 
remove  the  disability  of  soldiers  and  sailors  as  extra  hazardous 
risks  as  regarded  all  then  insured  members  of  the  Order  who 
might  take  up  arms  in  defense  of  the  United  States.  The  sound 
financial  condition  of  the  Order  enabled  it  to  assume  the  entire 
war  risk  of  its  members  who  might  enter  the  service,  and 
although  the  Order  reserved  the  right  to  withdraw  at  any  time 
this  privilege  granted  to  men  in  the  service,  it  was,  fortunately, 
not  necessary  to  exercise  such  right.    The  Order  had  taken  simi- 


112      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

lar  action  in  respect  to  its  members  during  the  Spanish-American 
War.  It  had  taken  similar  action  in  October,  1914,  in  respect 
to  its  members  in  Canada,  and  also  in  respect  to  members  called 
to  duty  at  the  Mexican  border.  Thousands  of  members  with  the 
colors  were  thus  benefited.  It  was  not  for  months  afterwards 
that  the  Government  undertook  to  furnish  insurance  protection 
for  soldiers  and  sailors.  Individual  councils  saw  to  it  that  the 
death  benefit  assessments  of  members  in  the  service  were 
promptly  paid  to  the  Supreme  Office.  While  no  subordinate 
council  of  the  Order  is  permitted  to  maintain  an  insurance  fund, 
it  is  permissible  for  a  council  to  enact  a  by-law,  which  must  be 
approved  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  enabling  the  council  to  pay 
death  benefit  assessments  of  members  from  a  Loan  Fund, 
so-called,  and  these  advances  may  be  made  either  as  a  loan  or 
gift. 

During  the  entire  period  of  the  War  the  thousands  of  insured 
members  in  the  service  were  carried  as  ordinary  risks,  the  Order 
assuming  the  entire  war  risk  in  their  cases.  This  was  a  heavy 
financial  undertaking,  and  while  the  Order  could  well  have  dis- 
continued the  insurance  protection  of  its  members  in  the  service 
after  the  Bureau  of  War  Risk  Insurance  had  commenced  writ- 
ing policies  in  amounts  of  from  $1,000  to  $10,000  on  the  lives  of 
soldiers  and  sailors,  the  fraternal  spirit,  as  well  as  the  patriotic 
spirit,  of  the  Order  w^as  reflected  in  the  action  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  in  permitting  the  members  in  the  service  to  continue 
their  insurance.  The  Order  suflfered  losses  not  only  from  mem- 
bers being  in  combat  with  the  enemy,  but  also  from  the  ravages 
of  the  epidemics  of  influenza  and  pneumonia  in  the  camps. 

The  Order  furnishes  protection  for  many  insured  members 
who,  by  reason  of  "  hazardous "  occupations,  are  unable  to 
obtain  insurance  with  "  old  line  "  companies.  The  Board  of 
Directors  decides  whether  occupations  shall  be  deemed  ordi- 
nary, hazardous  or  extra  hazardous.  For  insured  members 
engaged  in  "  hazardous  "  occupations,  monthly  assessments  of 
from  twenty-five  cents  to  one  dollar  for  each  one  thousand  dol- 
lars of  death  benefit  are  levied  in  addition  to  the  regular  death 
benefit  assessments.    Applicants  engaged  in  "  extra  hazardous  " 


Protecting  Homes  113 

occupations  are  not  accepted  for  insurance  membership.  Appli- 
cants for  insurance  membership  must  be  over  eighteen  years  old 
and  less  than  fifty  years  old.  Applicants  for  associate  member- 
ship must  be  not  less  than  twenty-one  years  old,  but  if  an  appli- 
cant under  twenty-one  and  over  eighteen  years  is  rejected  for 
insurance  membership,  or  is  ineligible  by  reason  of  ''  extra  haz- 
ardous "  occupation,  he  may  be  admitted  as  an  associate  member. 
The  law  further  provides  that  in  prohibitea  insurance  territory, 
and  in  the  tropics,  applicants  eighteen  years  old  and  over  are 
eligible  to  associate  membership. 

Prior  to  1917  any  insured  member  of  the  Order  who  entered 
an  "  extra  hazardous  "  occupation  thereby  forfeited  his  insur- 
ance. But  in  August  of  that  year  the  law  was  amended  to 
provide  that  if  an  insurance  member  of  two  or  more  years 
standing  enters  an  "  extra  hazardous  "  occupation  (other  than 
the  liquor  business)  he  may  be  continued  as  an  insurance  member 
by  a  vote  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  by  payment  of  an  extra 
monthly  assessment  of  one  dollar  for  each  one  thousand  dollars 
of  death  benefit. 

The  qualification  in  the  preceding  paragraph  in  respect  to  the 
liquor  business  indicates  the  restrictive  policy  of  the  Order  in 
regard  to  persons  engaged  in  the  manufacture  or  sale  of  intoxi- 
cating liquors  as  a  beverage.  In  the  early  days,  such  persons 
were  eligible  to  membership  in  the  Order,  and  those  who  at  that 
time  acquired  insurance  rights  have  been  protected  therein.  But 
for  many  years  the  Order  has  declined  to  accept  for  membership 
any  person  engaged  in  the  manufacture  or  sale,  either  wholesale 
or  retail,  of  intoxicating  liquor  as  a  beverage,  and  in  1907,  the 
Supreme  Council  amended  the  law  by  prohibiting  the  use  of 
intoxicating  liquors  at  any  meeting  or  degree  work  of  the  Order, 
or  directly  or  indirectly  under  the  auspices  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus. 

In  several  provinces  of  Canada,  and  in  a  few  states,  the  Order 
is  required  to  deposit,  with  the  proper  provincial  or  state  author- 
ity, moneys  or  securities  in  specified  amounts  as  a  prerequisite 


114      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

to  insuring  persons  who  are  residents  thereof.  In  the  province 
of  Ontario  the  restrictions  are  such  that  it  has  been  declared 
non-insurance  territory,  and  the  membership  in  that  jurisdiction 
is  in  the  associate  class.  The  Philippine  Islands,  Panama,  Porto 
Rico.  Cuba  and  Mexico  are  also  considered  non-insurance 
territory. 

The  law  provides  that  all  moneys  received  by  the  Order  as 
death  benefit  assessments  shall  be  held  exclusively  for  paying 
death  claims.  The  Death  Benefit  Fund  of  the  Order  consists  of 
moneys  received  from  insured  members  in  payment  of  assess- 
ments, all  over  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  which  constitutes 
the  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund.  The  law  further  provides  that  the 
Mortuary  Reserve  Fund  shall  be  invested  only  in  securities 
which  are  legal  for  savings  institutions  in  the  State  of  Connec- 
ticut. The  report  submitted  to  the  Supreme  Council,  August, 
1919,  by  Deputy  Supreme  Knight  Martin  H.  Carmody,  who  has 
been  Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  for  the  past  ten  years,  stated  that  from  July  1,  1909, 
to  June  30,  1919,  the  Committee  had  invested  $7,121,156.45  of 
assessment  moneys,  of  which  $6,721,156.45  represents  invest- 
ments in  bonds  and  $400,000  in  mortgages. 

The  net  return  on  all  investments  of  the  Mortuary  Reserve 
Fund  is  now  more  than  four  per  cent.  The  original  Step-Rate 
Plan  was  calculated  upon  the  Canada  Life  Table  of  Mortality 
and  an  interest  assumption  of  three  per  cent.  Upon  the  advice 
of  the  actuary,  the  Fraternal  American  Table  was  adopted,  with 
an  interest  assumption  of  four  per  cent.,  when  other  changes 
were  made  in  the  laws  in  1914.  There  has  been  a  gradual 
increase  in  the  net  returns  on  investments  made  by  the  Finance 
Committee,  and  in  connection  with  the  Fraternal  American  Table 
of  Mortality  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  the  report  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Fraternal  Congress  of 
America,  in  Detroit,  in  August,  1919,  Mr.  George  Dyer  Eldridge, 
an  eminent  actuary,  commended  to  the  Congress  the  table  of 
mortality  adopted  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in   1914.     The 


Protecting  Homes  115 

saving  to  members  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  by  the 
omitting  of  regular  death  benefit  assessments  from  time  to  time 
was  made  possible  not  alone  by  low  mortality,  but  by  a  wise 
and  profitable  investment  of  the  Mortuary  Reserve  Fund. 

All  financial  officers  of  Supreme,  State  and  Subordinate  Coun- 
cils are  bonded  in  substantial  amounts.  In  fact,  in  every  con- 
ceivable way  the  insurance  funds  of  the  Order  are  so  held  and 
protected  that  there  is  assured  to  beneficiaries  a  return  of  one 
hundred  per  cent,  of  all  moneys  paid  as  assessments  by  insured 
members  and  in  addition  interest  returns  thereon  at  perhaps  a 
little  higher  rate  than  is  paid  by  the  average  savings  bank.  The 
expense  of  operation  of  the  insurance  system  is  a  comparatively 
small  part  of  the  general  operating  expenses  of  the  Order,  and 
all  such  expenses  are  paid  from  the  General  Fund,  to  which 
associate  and  insurance  members  contribute  equally. 

The  Supreme  Secretary  and  Supreme  Treasurer  report  annu- 
ally to  the  Supreme  Council  as  to  receipts  and  disbursements. 
The  Supreme  Treasurer's  report  includes  a  list  of  the  securi- 
ties held  in  the  name  of  the  Order  for  the  Mortuary  Reserve 
Fund,  and  a  complete  statement  of  all  disbursements.  The 
Supreme  Advocate  reports  annually  as  to  all  legal  matters  affect- 
ing the  Order's  insurance  system,  and  the  Supreme  Physician 
submits  an  annual  report  in  connection  with  medical  matters  per- 
taining thereto.  Also,  each  year  the  consulting  actuary  advises 
the  Order  as  to  its  actuarial  status  at  .the  c]v->se  of  the  calendar 
year.  The  Committee  on  Insurance  reports  to  the  Supreme 
Board  of  Directors  on  matters  connected  with  the  insurance 
extension  program  of  the  Order.  Pamphlets  and  other  litera- 
ture concerning  the  insurance  feature  are  prepared  and  dis- 
tributed under  the  direction  of  the  Committee.  A  page  in  each 
issue  of  TJie  Columhiad,  the  official  journal  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  is  devoted  exclusively  to  insurance  propaganda.  The 
insurance  system  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  in  which  the 
insured  is  also  the  insurer,  has  stood  the  test  of  thirty-eight 
years  of  growth  amid  dangers.  Insurance  in  force  now  approxi- 
mates $176,000,000. 


116      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Not  to  one  member  or  to  many  members  must  the  excellence 
of  the  system  of  insurance,  built  up  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
be  attributed.  That  system  is  a  monument  to  the  collective 
wisdom  and  industry  of  the  entire  membership.  Yet  there  were 
some  men  whose  indefatigable  labor  must  receive  mention — - 
Messrs.  William  S.  McNeary  of  Boston,  John  F.  Crowley  of 
Philadelphia  and  William  J.  O'Brien,  Jr.,  of  Baltimore.  These 
men  served  zealously  as  members  of  a  committee  w^iich  had 
much,  in  the  crucial  middle-years  of  the  Order's  history,  to  do 
with  the  strengthening  of  the  system.  Mr.  David  Parks  Fack- 
ler's  vision  and  penetrating  judgment  as  the  Order's  actuary  and 
Dr.  E.  W.  Buckley's  experienced  services  as  Supreme  Physician 
have  contributed  largely  to  the  splendid  reputation  the  Order 
enjoys  as  an  insurer  —  a  reputation  upheld  by  the  loyal  and 
unremitting  effort  of  the  entire  insurance  department  staff  and 
the  co-operation  of  state  and  subordinate  council  officers  through 
the  country. 

The  admirable  combination  of  executive  conservatism  and 
enterprise  that  has  resulted  in  safety  and  progress  inspired  His 
Eminence  Cardinal  O'Connell  to  declare  that  if  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  had  performed  no  other  service  for  Church  or  Country 
than  to  maintain  its  insurance  system  on  a  basis  of  efficiency, 
the  name  of  the  Order  would  be  forever  illustrious  in  the  annals 
of  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  FOURTH  DEGREE  AND  THE  BOGUS  OATH 

THE  real  democracy  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  shown 
in  the  creation  of  the  Fourth  Degree.  The  heads  of  the 
Order  saw  that,  though  the  spirit  of  caste  should  not  be 
encouraged,  a  member  who  had  done  extraordinary  work  for 
the  Order  might,  perhaps,  claim,  or  rather  might  have  friends 
to  claim  for  him,  some  outward  token  of  distinction.  According 
to  the  Constitution  of  the  Order  the  officers  were  not  chosen 
because  they  were  distinguished  or  rich  or  of  social  position  — 
the  spirit  of  the  Knights  was  to  regard  these  things  as  mere 
accidents  —  they  were  elected  because  of  their  qualifications  for 
the  work  of  the  Knights  and  for  their  ability  in  utilizing  these. 
High  moral  character  was  a  sine  qua  non,  but  the  position  of  a 
selected  officer  in  the  world  outside  gave  no  prestige  to  his  work 
within  the  ranks.  He  must  be  an  instrument  fitted  to  the  actual 
needs  of  the  Order,  and  if  he  were  not  so  fitted,  neither  intel- 
lectual ability,  nor  wealth,  nor  worldly  achievements  counted ;  but 
in  the  nature  of  things  there  must  be  in  this  Order,  as  in  all 
organizations  of  a  similar  character,  some  method  of  progression. 
Each  degree  was  intended  to  accentuate  a  lesson,  and  it  was 
fitting  that  the  lessons  taught  in  the  First,  Second  and  Third 
Degrees  of  the  Order  should  be  crowned  by  the  lesson  of  the 
Fourth  Degree  —  Patriotism, —  ''  Patriotism,"  to  quote  the  words 
of  Cardinal  Mercier,  "  going  hand  in  hand  with  Religion."  When 
a  member  had  thoroughly  imbibed  the  teachings  of  devotion  to 
his  Church  and  his  Country,  so  objectively  shown  in  the  other 
degrees,  he,  if  he  were  fervently  interested  in  the  processes  of 
the  Order,  might  naturally  desire  to  crown  his  progress  by  even 
higher  and  stronger  accentuation  of  the  lessons  so  concretely 
taught  in  the  earlier  days  of  his  connection  with  the  Order. 

In  the  earliest  years  suggestions  were  repeatedly  made  for  the 
erection  of  a  degree  for  which  those  having  seniority  in  the 
Order  would  qualify.     In  1893  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Knights 
9  [117] 


118      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

of  Columbus  was  instituted,  but  the  only  instance  of  its  being 
conferred  was  upon  the  Duke  de  Veragua  on  the  occasion  of  his 
visit  to  the  United  States  that  year.  Sentiment  was  strongly  in 
favor  of  a  new  degree,  and  finally,  about  1903  the  Board  of 
Directors,  selecting  the  best  suggestions  of  the  hundreds  offered, 
accepted  a  ritual  having  patriotism  for  its  theme  and  awarded  it 
the  dignity  of  a  Fourth  Degree.  To  Mr.  Charles  O.  Webber  of 
Brooklyn,  formerly  a  National  Director,  must  be  given  credit 
for  establishing  this  degree. 

At  its  inception  it  was  necessary  to  make  an  arbitrary 
selection  of  the  candidates.  About  fourteen  hundred*  members 
were  so  chosen  for  the  first  grand  exemplification  of  the  Fourth 
Degree,  which  was  held  in  New  York  on  Febraury  22,  1900. 
This  was  followed  by  similar  exemplifications  in  other  cities.  The 
members  so  receiving  this  degree  returned  to  their  councils  to 
form  council  assemblies  of  the  Fourth  Degree,  with  the  right 
thereafter  to  choose  other  members.  The  law  was  afterwards 
broadened  so  that  where  there  are  several  such  assemblies  in  a 
district  they  come  together  and  constitute  what  is  known  as  a 
General  Assembly,  which  passes  finally  upon  the  names  of  appli- 
cants and  in  a  general  way  conducts  the  exemplification  of  the 
degree  and  functions  in  quasi-public  activities. 

The  Fourth  Degree  is  entirely  subject  to  the  Board  of 
Directors,  at  least  to  the  extent  that  its  Supreme  Master  is  chosen 
by  that  Board,  as  are  also  the  Vice-Supreme  Masters,  six  in 
number.  The  Fourth  Degree  constitution  and  laws  must  also 
receive  its  approval.  The  Supreme  Master  and  Vice-Supreme 
Masters  meet  at  least  once  in  two  years  for  the  purpose  of 
improving  the  Degree  and  promoting  its  efficiency.  This  Degree, 
being  patriotic  in  its  purpose,  adopts  only  patriotic  names.  Thus 
the  various  provinces  are  known  as  Champlain,  Cabot,  Calvert, 
De  Soto,  Marquette  and  Junipero  Serra,  and  the  various  general 
assemblies  can  adopt  only  such  historic  names  as  are  approved 
by  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Upon  receiving  the  Fourth  Degree  the  member  is  equipped 
with  a  baldric  of  red,  white  and  blue,  a  sword,  and  the  emblem 


THE  KNIGHTS    OIF  OOEUMHaS  lM»5K&jaiEAM»"V»fflt 


r 


SUPREME    MASTER    AND    VICE-SUPREME    MASTERS    OF    THE    FOURTH    DEGREE 


The  Fourth  Degree  and  the  Bogus  Oath         119 

of  the  Degree.  The  latter  is  a  representation  of  a  dove  carrying 
the  Cross  to  the  New  World  which,  after  all,  and  despite  the 
attempt  of  his  traducers  to  ascribe  other  motives,  was  the  under- 
lying motive  of  Columbus  in  searching  for  a  new  world.  For 
first  of  all  he  sought  to  bring  Christianity  to  any  unknown 
peoples,  and  a  certain  percentage  of  any  moneys  accruing  to  him 
by  reason  of  his  discoveries  was  by  his  will  set  aside  for  the 
purpose  of  redeeming  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 

The  Fourth  Degree  is  known  everywhere  as  constituting  in  its 
local  assembly  the  willing  supporter  of  priest  and  bishop  in  all 
their  public  movements,  and  in  many  places  no  public  reception 
of  a  bishop  or  priest,  and  no  procession  of  a  religious  character 
within  or  without  the  Church,  seems  to  be  complete  without  the 
attendance  of  the  uniformed  members  of  the  Fourth  Degree  of 
the  locality.  It  ought  to  be  noted  that  one  provision  regarding 
the  Fourth  Degree  is  proof  positive  of  its  desire  to  receive  within 
its  ranks  only  the  best.  This  is  the  requirement  that  the  candi- 
date shall  present  a  certificate  in  writing  from  a  priest  that  he 
has  received  Holy  Communion  within  two  weeks  prior  to  the 
date  of  his  initiation. 

In  connection  with  the  exemplification  of  each  Degree  there 
is  held  a  public  banquet,  and  to  this  the  most  distinguished 
men  have  been  invited.  Wherever  there  has  been  a  Fourth 
Degree  banquet  there  will  be  found  an  exposition  of  the  soundest 
principles  of  patriotism  and  morality  from  the  lips  of  Catholics 
as  from  non-Catholics,  who  upon  investigation  have  become  con- 
vinced of  the  soundness  and  worth  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
and  the  efforts  of  the  Fourth  Degree  to  stimulate  patriotism 
on  all  sides.  At  such  a  banquet  held  recently  in  Scranton, 
Pennsylvania,  His  Eminence  Cardinal  Mercier,  graciously 
accepted  membership  in  the  Fourth  Degree,  and  chose  the  occa- 
sion of  that  banquet  for  one  of  his  too  few  public  utterances  while 
on  his  visit  here. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Fourth  Degree  to  stimulate  public  inter- 
est in  the  observance  of  Columbus  Day  throughout  the  country. 
Wherever  possible,  some  sort  of  public  celebration  is  held  under 


120      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

its  auspices.  A  few  years  ago  it  was  decided  as  a  part  of  its 
patriotic  effort  to  hold  a  meeting  in  every  large  city  in  the  country 
on  Washington's  Birthday.  The  most  distinguished  orators, 
Catholic  and  non-Catholic,  gladly  accepted  the  invitation  to 
deliver  the  orations  on  that  day,  and  from  east  to  west  and  north 
to  south,  in  every  large  city,  in  the  largest  obtainable  hall  or 
theatre,  there  were  held  on  that  day  the  patriotic  exercises  in 
memory  of  Washington,  with  addresses,  and  other  appropriate 
exercises  to  which  the  public  was  invited  and  admitted  without 
charge. 

The  fourth  Degree  has  not  only  stirred  up  an  interest  in  public 
speaking  among  members  of  the  Order  and  others,  but  has 
labored  to  promote  the  study  of  Catholic  truth  and  history,  and 
to  encourage  the  Catholic  press  and  Catholic  publications.  Among 
other  recent  works,  for  instance,  it  appropriated,  a  large  sum  of 
money  for  the  distribution  of  the  Catholic  Encyclopedia  in  the 
camps  and  the  cantonments  throughout  the  country  during  the 
war.  The  Fourth  Degree  functions  in  a  very  simple  way,  with- 
out any  particular  powers,  and  subject,  as  above  stated,  in  all 
things  to  the  Board  of  Directors.  Its  means  of  raising  money 
are  very  strictly  limited,  and  yet  it  has,  within  its  few  years  of 
existence,  made  its  mark  and  won  its  place  as  a  most  efficient 
arm  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

The  Order's  manifestations  of  patriotism  are  not,  of  course, 
restricted  to  the  Fourth  Degree,  any  more  than  Fourth  Degree 
Assemblies  are  restrained  from  doing  special  works  in  their 
communities.  Los  Angeles  Assembly  has,  for  years,  distributed 
large  quantities  of  religious  and  other  literature  to  hospital 
patients  and  the  inmates  of  other  institutions.  Similar  charitable 
activities  are  maintained  by  Local  and  General  Assemblies  every- 
where. The  Fourth  Degree,  too,  invariably  takes  the  initiative 
in  commemorating  historical  events  or  persons,  as  when  the  New- 
ark members  erected,  in  1912,  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of  John 
Gilmary  Shea,  the  historian. 

It  is  a  strange  paradox  that  this  degree,  conceived  as  an 
essentially  patriotic  feature  or  consummation  of  the  general  ritual 


The  Fourth  Degree  and  the  Bogus  Oath         121 

and  ceremonial  of  the  Order,  should  have  been  the  object  of  bitter 
hostility  founded  upon  the  assumption  that  it  was  created  to  com- 
bat the  principles  of  Americanism  from  which  its  inspiration  is 
derived.  Within  the  past  six  years  the  Fourth  Degree  has  been 
the  target  of  violent  attacks  by  bigots  where  professionalism  has 
been  proved  beyond  question  through  legal  action  promptly  taken 
by  officers  of  the  order.  It  seems  almost  fantastic  to  record  that 
no  less  recent  an  authority  than  the  United  States  Committee  on 
Public  Information  felt  obliged  to  stamp  as  traitorous  and 
designed  to  stir  up  internal  enmities,  the  circulation  of  a  bogus 
oath  attributed  to  the  Fourth  Degree  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 
This  "  oath  "  has,  during  the  last  six  years,  been  the  pivot  of 
more  than  one  cause  ceUbr'^.  Were  it  not  for  the  malice  behind 
its  composition  and  propagation  one  would  be  inclined  to  laugh 
out  of  existence  so  grotesque  an  exaggeration  of  impotent 
hatred. 

The  "oath  "  made  its  appearance  about  1912.  The  fact  that 
it  was  not,  at  first,  treated  seriously  by  those  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus who  happened  to  see  it,  is  readily  explained  by  a  perusal  of 
it  in  all  its  absurdity.  In  reproducing  it,  good  taste  must,  for 
the  moment,  defer  to  historical  necessity.  This  is  the  form 
in  which  the  "  oath  "  was  circulated  on  fly-sheets  and  dodgers 
in  various  parts  of  the  country: 

THE  BOGUS  OATH 

I, ,  now  in  presence  of  Almighty  God,  the 

Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  the  blessed  St.  John  the  Baptist,  the  Holy  Apostles, 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  all  the  saints,  sacred  host  of  Heaven,  and  to 
you,  my  ghostly  father,  the  Superior  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
founded  by  Ignatius  Loyola,  in  the  pontification  of  Paul  III,  and  con- 
tinued to  the  present,  do  by  the  womb  of  the  Virgin,  the  matrix  of  God, 
and  the  rod  of  Jesus  Christ,  declare  and  swear  that  His  Holiness,  the 
Pope,  is  Christ's  vice-regent  and  is  the  true  and  only  head  of  the  Catholic 
or  Universal  Church  throughout  the  earth ;  and  that,  by  virtue  of  the  keys 
of  binding  and  loosing  given  His  Holiness  by  my  Savior,  Jesus  Christ, 
he  hath  power  to  depose  heretical  kings,  princes,  states,  commonwealths 
and  governments,  and  they  may  be  safely  destroyed.  Therefore,  to  the 
utmost  of  my  power,  I  will  defend  this  doctrine  and  His  Holiness'  right 


122      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

iand  custom  against  all  usurpers  of  the  heretical  or  Protestant  authority 
whatever,  especially  the  Lutheran  Church  of  Germany,  Holland,  Denmark, 
Sweden  and  Norway,  and  the  now  pretended  authority  and  Churches  of 
England  and  Scotland,  and  the  branches  of  same  now  established  in  Ireland 
and  on  the  continent  of  America  and  elsewhere,  and  all  adherents,  in  regard 
that  they  may  be  usurped  and  heretical,  opposing  the  sacred  Mother  Church 
of  Rome. 

I  do  now  denounce  and  disown  any  allegiance  due  to  any  heretical  king, 
prince  or  state,  named  Protestant  or  Liberals,  or  obedience  to  any  of  their 
laws,  magistrates  or  officers. 

I  do  further  declare  that  the  doctrine  of  the  Churches  of  England  and 
Scotland,  of  the  Calvinists,  Huguenots  and  others  of  the  name  of 
Protestants  or  Masons,  to  be  damnable,  and  they  themselves  to  be  damned 
who  will  not  forsake  the  same. 

I  do  further  declare  that  I  will  help,  assist  and  advise  all  or  any  of  His 
Holiness'  agents,  in  any  place  where  I  should  be,  in  Switzerland, 
Germany,  Holland,  Ireland  or  America,  or  in  any  other  kingdom  or  terri- 
tory I  shall  come  to,  and  do  my  utmost  to  extirpate  the  heretical  Protestant 
or  Masonic  doctrines,  and  to  destroy  all  their  pretended  powers,  legal  or 
otherwise. 

I  do  further  promise  and  declare  that,  notwithstanding  I  am  dispensed 
with  to  assume  any  religion  heretical  for  the  propagation  of  the  Mother 
Church's  interest,  to  keep  secret  and  private  all  her  agents'  counsels  from 
time  to  time,  as  they  entrust  me,  and  not  divulge,  directly  or  indirectly, 
by  word,  writing  or  circumstances  whatever,  but  to  execute  all  that  should 
be  proposed,  given  in  charge,  or  discovered  unto  me,  by  you  my  Ghostly 
Father,  or  any  of  this  sacred  order. 

I  do  further  promise  and  declare  that  I  will  have  no  opinion  or  will 
of  my  own  or  any  mental  reservation  whatsoever,  even  as  a  corpse  or 
cadaver  (perinde  ac  cadaver),  but  will  unhesitatingly  obey  each  and  every 
command  that  I  may  receive  from  my  superiors  in  the  militia  of  the  Pope 
and  of  Jesus  Christ. 

That  I  will  go  to  any  part  of  the  world  whithersoever  I  may  be  sent,  to 
the  frozen  regions  of  the  north,  jungles  of  India,  to  the  centers  of  civiliza- 
tion of  Europe,  or  to  the  wild  haunts  of  the  barbarous  savages  of  America 
without  murmuring  or  repining,  and  will  be  submissive  in  all  things  what- 
soever is  communicated  to  me. 

I  do  further  promise  and  declare  that  I  will,  when  opportunity  presents, 
make  and  wage  relentless  war,  secretly  and  openly,  against  all  heretics, 
Protestants  and  Masons,  as  I  am  directed  to  do,  to  extirpate  them  from 
the  face  of  the  whole  earth ;  and  that  I  will  spare  neither  age,  sex  or  con- 
dition, and  that  1  will  hang,  burn,  waste,  boil,  flay,  strangle  and  bury  alive 
those  infamous  heretics;  rip  up  the  stomachs  and  wombs  of  their  women, 


The  Fourth  Degree  and  the  Bogus  Oath  123 

and  crush  their  infants'  heads  against  the  walls,  in  order  to  annihilate  their 
execrable  race.  That  when  the  same  cannot  be  done  openly,  I  will  secretly 
use  the  poison  cup,  the  strangulation  cord,  the  steel  of  the  poinard,  or  the 
leaden  bullet,  regardless  of  the  honor,  rank,  dignity  or  authority  of  the 
persons,  whatever  may  be  their  condition  in  life,  either  public  or  private, 
as  I  at  any  time  may  be  directed  so  to  do,  by  any  agents  of  the  Pope,  or 
Superior  of  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Holy  Father  of  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

In  confirmation  of  which  I  hereby  dedicate  my  life,  soul  and  all  corporal 
powers,  and  with  the  dagger  which  I  now  receive  I  will  subscribe  my  name, 
written  in  my  blood,  in  testimony  thereof,  and  should  I  prove  false  or 
weaken  in  my  determination,  may  my  brethren  and  fellowsoldiers  of  the 
militia  of  the  Pope  cut  off  my  hands  and  feet  and  my  throat  from  ear  to 
ear,  my  belly  opened  and  sulphur  burned  therein  with  all  the  punishment 
that  can  be  inflicted  upon  me  on  earth  and  my  soul  shall  be  tortured  by 
demons  in  eternal  hell  forever. 

That  I  will  in  voting  always  vote  for  a  K.  of  C.  in  preference  to  a 
Protestant,  especially  a  Mason,  and  that  I  will  leave  my  party  to  do  so ; 
that  if  two  Catholics  are  on  the  ticket  I  will  satisfy  myself  which  is  the 
better  supporter  of  Mother  Church  and  vote  accordingly. 

That  I  will  not  deal  with  or  employ  a  Protestant  if  in  my  power  to  deal 
with  or  employ  a  Catholic ;  that  I  will  place  Catholic  girls  in  Protestant 
families  that  a  weekly  report  may  be  made  of  the  inner  movements  of  the 
heretics. 

That  I  will  provide  myself  with  arms  and  ammunition  that  I  may  be 
in  readiness  when  the  word  is  passed  or  I  am  commanded  to  defend  the 
Church,  either  as  an  individual  or  with  the  militia  of  the  Pope. 

There  is,  as  the  Editor  of  Brami's  Iconoclast  pointed  out  w^hen 
he  arraigned  the  circulators  of  the  "  oath  "  in  1913,  ample  internal 
evidence  to  justify  condemnation  of  the  composition  as  a  foolish 
fiction;  but  the  Knights  found  that  the  "  oath  "  was  used  not  as 
a  merely  innocent  experiment  in  comparative  credulity  by  gentle- 
men who  sold  it  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  but  as  an  instru- 
ment to  defame  the  characters  of  public  men.  The  "  oath  "  was 
filed  as  an  exhibit  by  Mr.  Eugene  C.  Bonniwell  of  Pennsylvania 
in  his  charge  against  Thomas  S.  Butler  before  the  Committee  of 
Elections  No.  1,  in  Congress,  when  Mr.  Bonniwell  stated  that 
it  had  been  used  against  him  as  a  Fourth  Degree  Knight  of 
Columbus  in  an  election  contest.  Mr.  Butler,  in  his  defence, 
stated   that   he  had  refrained   from  condemning  the   "  oath ", 


124      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

until  election  day,  although  he  did  not  believe  it  to  be  genuine, 
because  he  feared  to  give  it  "  notoriety."  Far  from  being  discon- 
certed by  the  airing  of  this  delectable  document  in  Congress, 
those  profiting  by  its  circulation  seized  upon  its  inclusion  in  the 
Congressional  Record  to  give  it  an  air  of  authority  by  printing 
on  future  copies  the  annotation  "  Copied  from  the  Congressional 
Record,  Washington,  D.  C,  Vol.  49,  Pt.  4,  Feb.  15,  1913  P. 
vS216,"  not  pausing,  however,  to  explain  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  allowed  to  appear  in  that  official  journal. 

When  two  men,  Charles  Megonegal,  a  printer,  and  Clarence 
H.  Stage,  a  barber,  were  charged  by  the  Commonwealth  of 
Pennsylvania  with  circulating  the  "oath"  in  February,  1913, 
"  wilfully  and  maliciously  exposing,"  so  the  charge  read,  "  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  as  a  body,  Charles  B.  Dowds,  upon  whose 
affidavit  the  arrests  were  made,  James  A.  Flaherty,  the  Supreme 
Knight,  and  Philip  A.  Hart,  Master  of  the  Fourth  Degree,  to 
public  hatred,  contempt  and  ridicule,  to  their  great  damage,  dis- 
grace, scandal  and  infamy,"  the  first  step  was  taken  in  a  series 
of  prosecutions  which  terminated  the  enterprise  of  those  cir- 
culating the  "  oath  ".  Supreme  Knight  Flaherty,  on  the  stand 
testified  that,  '*  This  alleged  oath  is  a  tissue  of  falsehoods  from  the 
first  word  to  the  last  —  absolutely  false.  This  prosecution  was 
brought  simply  to  vindicate  the  Knights  of  Columbus  on  account 
of  the  wide  circulation  given  to  this  vile  and  scurrilous  circular, 
the  purpose  of  which  was  to  breed  strife  and  arouse  religious 
bigotry.  The  alleged  oath  is  absolutely  baseless,  and  of  such  a 
flagrant  character  that  it  is  indeed  surprising  that  any  one  would 
give  it  the  slightest  credence.  It  was  so  persistently  circulated 
that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  compelled  to  take  steps  to 
refute  it,  and  we  thought  criminal  prosecution  would  be  the  best 
way  to  do  it." 

Megonegal  pleaded  guilty  and  Stage  nolo  contendere,  and  the 
prosecution  expressed  its  willingness  that  sentence  be  suspended. 
But  the  attorney  for  one  of  the  defendants,  Mr.  Leroy  N.  King, 
brought  out  interesting  evidence  of  the  source  of  the  "  oath  " 
when   he   wrote   the   Menace   Publishing   Co.,   of   Aurora,    111., 


The  Fourth  Degree  and  the  Bogus  Oath         125 

reminding  them  that  in  their  issue  of  March  1,  1913,  they  pro- 
fessed themselves  as  "  prepared  to  print  and  distribute  the  com- 
plete ritual  and  secret  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus."  He 
stated  that  the  defendants  in  the  case  had  no  knowledge  of  the 
authenticity  of  the  "  oath,"  "  having  received  it  in  the  first 
instance  from  your  company,  and  they  naturally  rely  upon  you 
to  aid  them  in  their  present  difficulty." 

Mr.  King,  under  date  of  March  5th,  1913,  received  an 
enlightening  reply  from  the  Menace  Publishing  Company.  "  The 
alleged  oath,"  the  letter  said  in  part,  "  which  your  clients  in 
Philadelphia  were  arrested  for  distributing,  was  circulated  in 
practically  every  state  during  the  late  [1912]  campaign  and  the 
demand  made  upon  us  for  this  document  was  something  great, 
and  we  had  received  copies  of  them  from  so  many  sources  we 
simply  printed  and  handled  them  as  we  would  any  other  job  [sic] 
of  printing,  to  supply  the  demand,  and  while  we  have  no  apologies 
for  so  doing,  we  do  not  have  any  evidence  that  the  oath  is  the 
one  which  is  taken  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

"  We  feel  sure  that  it  would  be  folly  for  you  to  undertake  to 
base  your  defense  on  the  authenticity  of  this  document 

This  frank  statement,  indited  on  a  letter-head  bearing  in  vivid 
type  the  words  *'  The  Roman  Catholic  Machine,  The  Deadliest 
Menace  to  American  Liberties  and  Civilization  "  is  an  edifying 
exposition  of  the  professional  bigot's  soul.  Incidentally,  the 
reference  to  political  malpractice  in  this  letter,  serves  to  empha- 
size the  need  for  the  Commission  on  Religious  Prejudices  which 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  established  two  years  later. 

On  July  29,  1914,  in  Waterville,  Minnesota,  A.  M.  Morrison 
and  Garfield  E.  Morrison,  editors  and  publishers  of  the  Mankafo 
Morning  Journal  were  brought  to  trial  by  the  State  for  charging 
E.  M.  Lawless,  editor  of  the  Waterville  Sentinel,  with  having 
taken  the  "  oath."  The  case  excited  great  local  interest.  Two 
Supreme  Officers  of  the  Order,  Supreme  Physician  E.  W. 
Buckley  and  Supreme  Secretary  William  J.  McGinley,  were 
called  upon  to  testify.  Dr.  Buckley  had  been  present  when  Mr. 
Lawless  took  the  Fourth  Degree.  Mr.  McGinley,  in  his  testimony, 


126      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

declared  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  not  an  oath-bound 
society,  nor  a  secret  society,  and  at  this  trial  the  pledge  taken  by 
Fourth  Degrees  members  on  initiation  was  inserted  as  a  State 
exhibit.     It  reads: 

I  swear  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  I  pledge 
myself,  as  a  Catholic  citizen  and  Knight  of  ColurrTbus,  to  enlighten  myself 
fully  upon  my  duties  as  a  citizen  and  to  conscientiously  perform  such 
duties  entirely  in  the  interest  of  my  country-  and  regardless  of  all  per- 
sonal consequences.  I  pledge  myself  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  preserve 
the  integrity  and  purity  of  the  ballot,  and  to  promote  reverence  and  respect 
for  law  and  order.  I  promise  to  practice  my  religion  openly  and  con- 
sistently, but  without  ostentation,  and  to  so  conduct  myself  in  public  affairs, 
and  in  the  exercise  of  public  virtue  as  to  reflect  nothing  but  credit  upon 
our  Holy  Church,  to  the  end  that  she  may  flourish  and  our  country  pros- 
per to  the  greater  honor  and  glory  of  God. 

Rather  an  effective  contrast  to  the  bogus  "  oath,"  worthy  of  the 
most  ardent  imagining  of  Eugene  Sue  or  Leo  Taxil. 

A  gratifying  result  of  the  conviction  of  the  two  defendants 
was  a  letter  sent  by  the  Reverend  Thomas  Billing,  a  Methodist 
minister  who  served  as  foreman  of  the  jury,  to  Mr.  Fred  Bier- 
man,  editor  of  the  Decorah,  la.,  Journal,  in  w^hich  Mr.  Billing 
summarized  the  case  under  four  heads:  "1.  The  publication  of 
the  so-called  oath  in  the  defendants*  paper  was  proven.  2.  Its 
diabolical  character  was  proven.  3.  Its  circulation  in  Waterville 
was  proven  by  the  Reverend  H.  P.  Chapman,  Pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregationalist  Church  of  that  city.  4.  Its  utter  and  complete 
falsity  was  proven  by  two  witnesses  of  the  highest  standing  in 
the  Order,  viz.,  Dr.  Buckley  of  St.  Paul  and  Mr.  William  J. 
McGinley  of  New  York."  "  Such  things,"  Mr.  Billing  truly  com- 
mented, after  adding  that  a  pseudo-nun  had  also  appeared  in 
the  locality,  "  exhibit  the  strange  anomaly  of  a  religion  of  love 
producing  the  keenest  haters,  and  a  gospel  of  peace  engendering 
strife  and  animosity  more  bitter  than  the  disputes  and  rivalries 
of  the  most  profane." 

In  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  another  case  was  tried,  Mr. 
Charles    O'Neill    Conroy   being   the   complainant    against    Mr. 


The  Fourth  Degree  and  the  Bogus  Oath         127 

Charles  A.  Swift.  The  defendant  pleaded  guilty  and  apologized 
and  the  proceedings  were  withdrawn. 

In  Seattle,  Washington,  in  1912  the  circulation  of  the  '*  oath  " 
led  the  local  Knights  to  place  the  authentic  Fourth  Degree  pledge 
and  the  bogus  "  oath  "  before  a  committee  of  non-Catholic  gentle- 
men, who,  in  a  newspaper  statement,  branded  the  bogus  docu- 
ment as  "  a  blasphemous  and  horrible  travesty  upon  the  real 
'oath,'"  and  declared  that  ''the  obligation  taken  by  the  Fourth 
Degree  Knights  of  Columbus  is  one  of  loyalty  and  patriotism  to 
our  flag  and  nation."  The  gentlemen  were  Messrs.  H.  C.  Henry, 
railroad  contractor,  J.  D.  Lowman,  President  of  the  Seattle 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  J.  E.  Chilberg,  banker.  The  Olympia 
Clericus,  an  organization  of  Episcopal  clergymen,  passed  a  reso- 
lution regretting  the  circulation  of  the  "  oath." 

In  Los  Angeles  in  1914,  the  State  Deputy  of  California  sub- 
mitted the  entire  work,  ceremonies  and  pledges  of  the  Order  to 
a  committee  of  Freemasons  made  up  of  Messrs.  Motley  Hewes 
Flint,  33rd  Degree  Past  Grand  Master  of  Masons  of  California; 
Dana  Reid  Weller,  32nd  Degree  Past  Grand  Master  of  Masons 
of  California;  William  Rhodes  Hervey,  33rd  Degree  Past  Master 
and  Master  of  Scottish  Rite  Lodge,  and  Samuel  E.  Burke,  32nd 
Degree  Past  Master  and  Inspector  of  Masonic  District.  These 
gentlemen  issued  the  following  statement: 

We  hereby  certify  that  by  authority  of  the  highest  officer  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  in  the  State  of  California,  who  acted  under  instructions  from 
the  Supreme  Officer  of  the  Order  in  the  United  States,  we  were  furnished  a 
complete  copy  of  all  the  work,  ceremonies  and  pledges  used  by  the  Order, 
and  that  we  carefully  read,  discussed  and  examined  the  same.  We  found 
that  while  the  Order  is  in  a  sense  a  secret  association,  it  is  not  an  oath 
bound  organization  and  that  its  ceremonies  are  comprised  in  four  degrees, 
which  are  intended  to  teach  and  inculcate  principles  that  lie  at  the  founda- 
tion of  every  great  religion  and  every  free  state.  Our  examination  of 
these  ceremonials  and  obligations  was  made  primarily  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  whether  or  not  a  certain  alleged  oath  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  which  has  been  printed  and  widely  circulated,  was  in  fact  used 
by  the  Order  and  whether  if  it  was  not  used,  any  oath,  obligation  or  pledge 
was  used  which  was  or  would  be  offensive  to  Protestants  or  Masons,  or 
those  who  are  engaged  in  circulating  a  document  of  peculiar  viciousness 


128      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

and  wickedness.  We  find  that  neither  the  alleged  oatli  nor  any  oath  or 
pledge  bearing  the  remotest  resemblance  thereto  in  matter,  manner,  spirit 
or  purpose  is  used  or  forms  a  part  of  the  ceremonies  of  any  degree  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus.  The  alleged  oath  is  scurrilous,  wicked  and 
libelous  and  must  be  the  invention  of  an  impious  and  venomous  mind.  We 
find  that  the  Order  of  Knights  of  Columbus,  as  shown  by  its  rituals,  is 
dedicated  to  the  Catholic  religion,  charity  and  patriotism.  There  is  no 
propaganda  proposed  or  taught  against  Protestants  or  Masons  or  persons 
not  of  Catholic  faith.  Indeed,  Protestants  and  Masons  are  not  referred 
to  directly  or  indirectly  in  the  ceremonials  and  pledges.  The  ceremonial 
of  the  Order  teaches  a  high  and  noble  patriotism,  instills  a  love  of  country, 
inculcates  a  reverence  for  law  and  order,  urges  the  conscientious  and 
unselfish  performance  of  civic  duty  and  holds  up  the  Constitution  of  our 
Country  as  the  richest  and  most  precious  possession  of  a  Knight  of  the 
Order.  We  can  find  nothing  in  the  entire  ceremonials  of  the  Order  that 
to  our  minds  could  be  objected  to  by  any  person. 

A  committee  of  forty-eight  prominent  non-Catholic  citizens 
of  Indianapolis,  in  1914,  published  in  local  newspapers  the  result 
of  their  examination  of  the  facts  and  litigation  concerning  the 
bogus  oath.  "  Knowing,"  they  declared,  after  a  summary  of  the 
history  of  the  ''  oath  "  cases,  "  that  the  '  fake  oath  '  is  false  we 
hold  that  all  good  citizens  will  join  us  in  denouncing  its  circulation 
in  IMarion  County  and  in  Indiana,  to  the  end  that  people  of  all 
creeds  may  dwell  in  peace  and  harmony  as  becomes  the  highest 
ideals  of  true  and  patriotic  American  citizenship." 

The  editor  of  a  Socialist  newspaper  in  Santa  Cruz,  California, 
had  a  collision  with  the  law  when  he  published  the  "  oath  "  in 
October,  1914.  Since  that  time,  there  has  been  sporadic  cir- 
culation of  the  "  oath,"  as  by  a  person  named  Crane  in  Oklahoma 
in  1917  and  by  various  persons  apprehended  and  charged  with 
pro-German  activity  during  the  war.i  In  all  cases  where  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  have  taken  part  in  the  prosecution  they  have 
not  pressed  the  case  once  guilt  was  admitted  by  the  culprits. 

In  an  affidavit  attached  to  a  pamphlet  issued  by  the  Knights 
concerning  the  bogus  oath.  Supreme  Knight  James  A.  Flaherty, 
Supreme  Secretary  William  J.  McGinley  and  Supreme  Advocate 
Joseph  C.   Pelletier,  declared  that  "no  oath  is  required,  asked 

'  V»d«  citations  in  "The  Knights  of  Columbus  versus  Criminal  Libel,"  New  Haven,   Conn. 


The  Fourth  Degree  and  the  Bogus  Oath         129 

for,  received  or  given  directly  or  indirectly  in  any  of  the  fore- 
going [rituals,  ceremonials  and  proceedings]  or  otherwise  in  the 
Knights  of  Columbus ;  that  the  alleged  Knights  of  Columbus  or 
Fourth  Degree  oath  is  absolutely  and  unqualifiedly  false." 

Amazing  as  it  is  that  this  puerile  defamation  of  the  Fourth 
Degree  should  have  received  wide  circulation  followed  doubt- 
less, by  belief,  it  is  still  more  amazing  that  a  publication  such  as 
The  Menace,  confessedly  unscrupulous,  should  be  permitted  to 
sow  suspicion,  lies  and  strife  among  citizens  of  this  country. 
True,  the  paper  has  been  expelled  from  certain  cities  and  the 
Postmaster  General  of  Canada  barred  it  from  the  Canadian 
mails,  although  specimens  of  almost  equally  scurrilous,  anti- 
Catholic  journalism  are  tolerated  within  the  borders  of  the 
Dominion. 

It  is  difficult  to  reconcile  the  spirit  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence and  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  with  even 
a  mild  toleration  of  false  and  malicious  attacks  on  any  group  of 
American  citizens.  However,  as  might  be  expected,  the  campaign 
against  the  Knights  of  Columbus  through  the  Fourth  Degree 
has  succeeded  only  in  rendering  the  position  of  the  Order  more 
secure  in  the  public  mind  and  the  degree  more  attractive.  It  is 
an  institution  known  and  respected ;  it  not  only  serves  its  original 
purpose,  by  inspiring  members  to  progress  in  the  beneficial  lessons 
taught  by  Columbianism,  but  is  solicitous  to  find  and  industrious 
in  pursuing  special  operations  that  augment  the  fraternal  and 
civic  effectiveness  of  the  Order  as  a  whole.  There  is  ample 
reason  for  the  declaration  of  the  Supreme  Master  in  one  of  his 
official  messages,  that  "  the  Fourth  Degree  is  an  asset  of  the 
Nation." 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  PERMANENT  HOME  MOVEMENT 

THERE  is  a  general  impression  outside  the  Catholic  Church 
that  Catholics,  socially,  are  a  solid  body,  that  in  politics 
they  move  as  one  man  at  the  command  of  some  mystic 
authority  —  the  Black  Pope  of  Dumas  and  of  Eugene  Sue,  for 
instance  —  and  that  the  fact  that  a  man  attends  church  admits 
him  at  once  into  social  intercourse  with  those  he  meets  in  the 
sacred  edifice.  Nothing  is  more  true  than  that  the  Catholic 
Church  is  spiritually  the  most  democratic  of  all  religious  insti- 
tutions, being  in  itself  the  highest  expression  of  Christianity. 
That  black  and  white,  rich  and  poor,  distinguished  and  obscure, 
kneel  together  at  the  Communion  rail  is  one  of  the  evidences  of 
this,  and  that  an  attempt  to  draw  the  color  or  the  social  line  in 
spiritual  matters  could  never  be  made  in  the  churches,  is  true. 
The  great  question  that  has  divided  the  Methodist  Church  in  the 
North,  in  a  measure,  from  the  Methodist  Church  in  the  South, 
could  never  exist  in  the  Catholic  Church. 

In  spite  of  this,  notwithstanding  all  opinions  to  the  contrary 
held  by  those  who  do  not  know  the  inner  lives  of  Catholics,  no 
power  on  earth  could  induce  them  to  vote  politically  as  a  unit 
for  any  movement  that  did  not  champion  freedom  of  religion; 
on  all  other  issues  they  have  become  gradually  almost  radically 
independent.  However,  probably  from  the  very  intensity  of 
their  spiritual  perceptions,  they  were  inclined  to  neglect  temporal 
social  considerations,  very  largely  because  they  were  brethren  in 
the  household  of  the  Faith.  There  was  never  at  any  time  any 
question  of  their  benevolence,  of  their  generosity  in  alms-giving, 
of  their  interest  in  the  poor ;  but  there  were  times  when  it  almost 
seemed  necessary  that  a  man  should  be  lame,  halt,  blind,  destitute 
or  friendless  in  order  to  bring  into  action  that  love  of  their  neigh- 
bor which  is  the  very  foundation  of  their  religion.  They  thought 
much,  following  the  advice  of  St.  Paul,  of  those  of  the  house- 
hold of  the  Faithj  when  these  members  actually  neeeded  spirit- 

[130] 


The  Permanent  Home  Movement  131 

ual  or  physical  assistance;  but,  for  example,  a  young  man,  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  locality,  might  appear  at  Mass  on  every 
Sunday  and  Holyday  of  the  year  without  as  much  as  receiving 
even  a  nod  of  greeting  from  any  of  his  co-religionists.  This  was 
in  direct  and  unpleasant  contrast  to  the  conduct  of  our  separated 
brethren,  and  certainly  very  disheartening  to  Catholics  who  were 
strangely  enough  deprived  of  that  cordial  intercourse  with  their 
brethren  which  every  human  being  craves. 

This  defect  in  our  social  system  —  if  we  really  had  a  social 
system  —  was  admitted.  It  was  regretted  academically,  but  no 
effective  remedy  was  discovered  until  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
conceived  one  and  applied  it  energetically.  That  remedy  has  yet 
to  be  fully  and  even  adequately  applied;  it  will  be  a  matter,  no 
doubt,  of  several  decades.  But  through  the  activity  of  subordi- 
nate councils  of  the  Order  a  nationwide  chain  of  civic  social 
centers  is  being  effected  gradually. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  call  this  their  permanent  home 
movement;  it  is  the  popular  "own  your  home"  idea  applied  to 
councils,  although  the  Order's  movement  commenced  long  before 
that  idea  was  popularized.  It  has  been  the  subject  of  national 
and  international  propaganda  within  the  Order  before  and  ever 
since  the  first  subordinate  council  building  was  erected  by 
Florentine  Council  of  Poughkeepsie  in  1896.  It  has  never  been 
considered  as  the  possible  subject  for  a  nationwide  financial  drive, 
for  the  permanent  home  of  each  council  or  chapter  should  be 
and  is  a  problem  for  local  solution,  and  will  remain  so,  for  the 
character  of  the  permanent  home  is  based  upon  and  bound  up 
in  purely  local  conditions.  The  national  scope  of  permanent  home 
building  must  continue  to  be  what  it  has  always  been,  a  matter 
of  propaganda,  of  stimulation  for  the  worthy  ambition  of  subor- 
dinate councils  either  individually  or  in  association  to  own  homes. 

The  first  sign  of  the  strength  of  independence  in  any  organ- 
ization, as  in  any  individual,  is  the  fact  of  reaching  out  to  estab- 
lish a  permanent  abiding  place.  It  was  not  long  until  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  as  a  society,  displayed  this  sign  markedly.  Every- 
where members  of  subordinate  councils  felt  the  desirabilitv  of 


132      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

having  their  councils  housed  permanently  in  their  own  quarters. 
Farseeing  men  of  the  Order  took  up  the  apostolate  of  permanent 
homes,  writing  and  speaking  the  innumerably  convincing  argu- 
ments that  back  the  movement.  The  columns  of  IJie  Colmnbiad, 
the  official  journal,  carried  this  propaganda,  and  its  effect  became 
immediately  noticeable. 

It  is  well  to  remember  that  the  success  of  organizations  like  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  the  erection  of  permanent 
homes  went  far  toward  arousing  a  like  ambition  within  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  Yet  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had  no 
opportunity  of  making  the  same  bold  and  successful  appeals  to 
the  general  public  for  support,  which  have  marked  the  beginning 
and  establishment  of  many  prosperous  Y.  M.  C.  A.  centers.  In 
the  first  place,  the  restriction  of  motives  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus withheld  them  from  considering  their  affairs  as  entitled  to 
indiscriminate  financial  support  from  their  fellow-citizens. 
Their  benefits,  as  a  fraternal  organization,  were  first  applicable 
to  their  members  and  their  members'  families.  The  community 
as  a  whole  benefited  by  the  growth  of  a  sturdy  system  of  family 
protection  and  by  the  advancement  of  large  bodies  of  men  in 
practical  citizenship;  the  community  benefited  also  by  the  exter- 
nal works  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  caring  for  orphans  in 
the  localities  of  the  councils,  and  by  assisting  all  movements  for 
the  public  good,  even  in  helping,  by  their  contributions  of  time 
and  money,  the  campaigns  for  other  activities. 

But  the  Knights  recognized  their  limitations,  or  rather,  imposed 
their  limitations  before  their  development  had  taken  a  decided 
trend.  They  had  thought,  perhaps,  to  plough  the  straight  furrow 
of  fraternalism,  with  an  incidental  scattering  of  their  good  seed 
by  the  wayside  for  those  in  need.  But  the  solidity  of  their 
success  in  insurance  and  social  activities  compelled  them  to  con- 
sider the  verdict  of  Catholic  opinion  that  they,  having  won 
leadership  among  the  organized  laity  by  diligence  and  public- 
spiritedness,  should  further  manifest  this  public-spiritedness  and 
this  diligence  by  taking  up  the  immense  task  of  supplying  the 
great  need  for  Catholic  social  centers. 


The  Pjermanent  Home  Movement  133 

Perhaps  because  of  the  substantial  nature  of  their  religious 
obligations  and  the  spiritual  satisfaction  of  fulfilling  those 
obligations,  perhaps  because  of  the  age-long  tradition  of  con- 
servatism that  makes  Catholic  public  action  a  matter  of  slow 
growth,  evoked  only  by  extraordinary  occasions,  perhaps  bepause 
of  the  combination  of  ultra-sentitiveness  and  insufficient  apprecia- 
tion of  their  own  strength  that  has  for  long  been  the  handicap  of 
Catholic  social  action,  the  fact  is  that  only  within  recent  years  have 
Catholics  as  Catholics  come  to  the  realization  that  while  they  are 
very  thoroughly  grounded  spiritually,  they  have  not  the  best  meth- 
ods of  applying  the  social  values  of  their  faith.  Through  other 
societies,  non-Catholics,  generally,  had  a  rallying-point  for  their 
religio-social  activities.  The  Catholics  had  no  such  centers.  Cath- 
olic young  men,  unless  blessed  by  the  very  rare  parish  or  college 
club,  were  forced  to  go  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  or  the  public  billiard 
rooms  for  their  recreation  when  outdoor  athletics  were  unsea- 
sonable. The  Catholic  people,  in  ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred 
parishes  in  the  country,  had  only  their  parish  hall,  their  parish 
school  or  their  church  basement  for  the  purposes  of  meetings, 
entertainments,  etc.  Something  more  was  needed,  is  needed  now 
in  most  towns  and  in  all  of  the  largest  cities  in  the  country  —  a 
Catholic  social  center ;  a  club  for  the  Catholic  men,  young,  middle- 
aged  and  old,  a  place  to  which  all  Catholics  can  look  as  the  hub 
of  their  public  activities ;  an  institution  to  whose  advantages  non- 
Catholics  would  also  be  welcome  —  in  short,  a  public  center  under 
Catholic  auspices. 

All  eyes  have  turned  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  as  the  logical 
suppliers  of  these  centers,  and  in  their  permanent  home  movement 
the  Knights  have  made  the  one  substantial  attempt  to  make  the 
beginning  a  success,  to  accomplish  the  fulfilment  of  this  urgent 
need.  The  Knights  have  striven  and  are  striving  to  give 
America,  and,  in  fact,  every  locality  where  they  operate,  centers 
of  social  intercourse.  Their  permanent  home  movement  is  an 
evidence  of  fraternal  vitality,  for  wherever  a  council  launches 
the  project,  one  of  the  leading  motives  is  the  desire  to  have  not 
only  a  permanent  home  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  but  for  the 
benefit  of  the  entire  community. 


134      The  Knig?its  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  first  Knights  of  Columbus  home,  which  was  erected  by 
Florentine  Council  in  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  is  an  excellent  illus- 
tration of  the  utility  of  these  permanent  centers.     In  a  district 
not  distinguished  for  its  friendliness  towards  things  Catholic, 
this  handsome  Knights  of  Columbus  building  stood  as  a  concrete 
manifestation  of  progress.    Its  doors  were  open  to  all ;  it  instantly 
became  the  center  of  educational  and  entertainment  activities 
contributing  to  the  benefit  of  the  entire  community;  it  was  and 
is  a  rallying  place  for  Catholics  and  their  friends,  and  in  it  have 
been   held   some   of   the   most   important   public  gatherings  of 
Dutchess  county,  of  which  Poughkeepsie  is  the  county  seat.    The 
mere  presence  of  this  permanent  home  has  served  to  enhance 
the  Order's  prestige.    The  same  phenomenon  is  recorded  wher- 
ever the  Knights  have  succeeded  in  erecting  permanent  homes. 
Of   course,    in   prosecuting   this   movement,   the    Knights   of 
Columbus  shoulder  a  heavy  burden.    The  help  they  have  received 
from  co-religionists  not  belonging  to  the  society  is  slight,  and 
hardly  of  sufficient  importance  to  record.     On  one  occasion  a 
Protestant  lady  donated  land  to  a  council  on  condition  that  it 
build  a  permanent  home.    But  they  have  gone  on  with  the  move- 
ment ever  since  the  erection  of  the  first  building  in  Poughkeepsie 
some  twenty  years  ago  —  a  feat  which  will  ahvays  stand  before 
the  Order  as  an  example  of  what  can  be  done  with  limited 
resources  and  unlimited  determination,  the  membership  of  Flor- 
entine Council  at  that  time  being  only  250.    Now  there  are  hand- 
some Knights  of  Columbus  buildings  in   St.   Louis,   Spokane, 
Denver,  St.  Paul,  San  Francisco,  Birmingham,  Detroit,  Grand 
Rapids,  Columbus,  New  Orleans,  Buffalo,  Toronto,   Hamilton, 
St.  John,  Holyoke,  Pittsburgh,  Waco,  Louisville,  Seattle,  Mem- 
phis, Cleveland,  Galveston,  Nogales,  Indianapolis,  Fort  Wayne, 
East  St.  Louis,  Milwaukee,  Charlestown,  New  Haven  and  Dor- 
chester.   The  North  American  continent  is  dotted  with  this  chain 
of  Knights  of  Columbus  structures,  and  their  worth  as  focal 
points  for  social  activity  has  been  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of 
even  the  most  skeptical. 


The  Permanent  Home  Movement  135 

In  its  various  phases  the  Knights  of  Columbus  permanent 
home  movement  has  been  co-operative  and  cumulative.  A  coun- 
cil finds  some  favorable  opportunity  to  acquire  a  building  already 
standing,  or  to  acquire  property  centrally  located  upon  which  a 
building  can  be  erected.  Expert  realty  and  building  men  (usually 
some  such  v^ill  be  found  among  the  council's  membership)  are 
consulted,  the  price  estimated,  and  the  council  votes  upon  the 
matter.  When  it  is  decided  to  advance  with  the  project,  the 
permission  of  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors  is  secured  to  form 
a  Knights  of  Columbus  Building  Association  or  Company;  trus- 
tees or  directors  are  elected  for  the  company,  a  prospectus  drawn 
and  the  stock  of  the  corporation  marketed.  The  great  Knights 
of  Columbus  buildings  in  the  large  cities  have  been  built  by  stock 
subscriptions  varying  from  $10  to  $50  per  share,  chiefly  on  the 
part  of  the  members,  although  some  others  not  of  •  the  Order 
have  realized  the  advantages  and  the  social  benefits  to  be  derived 
from  a  thriving  Knights  of  Columbus  center,  and  have  answered 
the  appeal  by  subscribing  to  stock. 

This  method  of  stock  subscription  is  not  only  the  most  prac- 
ticable and  the  safest  method  of  financing  the  building  of  perma- 
nent homes,  but  it  distributes  ownership  and,  by  that  means, 
knits  the  council  into  a  closer  body  with  a  common  sense  of 
responsibility.  Where  one  council  is  not  of  sufficient  numerical 
strength  to  undertake  the  project  a  union  of  councils  for  the 
purpose  of  building  the  permanent  home  can  be  effected.  This 
system  has  worked  successfully  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  no 
fewer  than  seven  councils  —  Washington,  La  Salle,  Marquette, 
Isabella,  Angelus,  Montauk  and  Greater  New  York  —  combined 
to  purchase  a  $78,000  club  house,  their  aggregate  membership 
of  1,500  being  well  able  to  sustain  the  task  of  providing  for 
amortization  of  the  bonds  on  the  buildings,  whereas  the  members 
of  each  individual  council  would  most  probably  have  abandoned 
the  project  of  overcoming  so  large  a  debt. 

W^ith  capable  management  the  council  dues,  advanced  in  pro- 
portion to  the  benefits  provided  by  membership  in  the  council, 
can  be  made  to  equip  and  maintain  the  permanent  home,  and 


136      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

perhaps  help  to  pay  the  principal  cost  of  the  home.  Then,  many 
of  the  large  Knights  of  Columbus  buildings  are  income-bearing. 
They  have  been  designed  to  permit  the  renting  of  all  but  the 
space  necessary  for  council  and  club  purposes.  They  are  occu- 
pied as  offices,  stores,  etc. ;  the  auditoriums  also  are  rented.  In 
this  way,  where  sufficient  capital  can  be  obtained  to  provide  a 
sizable  building,  not  only  may  the  membership  and  the  commu- 
nity benefit  by  the  social  center,  but  the  building  can  actually 
be  made  to  pay  for  itself,  and  perhaps  yield  a  profit,  after  a  term 
of  years.  In  San  Francisco,  where  the  home  cost  $250,000,  a 
good  annual  revenue  is  realized,  and  so  in  St.  Louis  and  Denver, 
where  the  Knights  of  Columbus  buildings  cost  $200,000  each. 

Councils  have  often  taken  advantage  of  an  opportunity  to  pur- 
chase a  suitable  building  at  reasonable  cost.  In  Columbus,  the 
home  of  former  Governor  Salmon  P.  Chase  was  bought  for 
$100,000;  in  Cleveland,  O.,  Gilmour  Council  secured  a  magnifi- 
cent country  club  for  $110,000,  and  elsewhere  substantial  resi- 
dences have  been  obtained,  and,  at  small  cost,  turned  into  clubs. 
This  is  the  usual  procedure  with  councils  of  very  limited  means. 
But  maximum  satisfaction  is  obtained  when  the  council  builds 
its  own  home  from  the  foundation  up.  Then  a  real  monument 
to  Columbianism  can  be  erected,  for  the  men  of  the  council  are 
able  to  put  their  collective  judgment  into  brick  and  stone. 

The  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  the  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Council  homes 
have  the  desirable  club  feature  of  sleeping  accommodations  at  rea- 
sonable prices  for  members  of  the  Order.  This  sort  of  club,  it 
would  seem,  is  the  thing  to  be  desired  —  a  home  combining  every 
convenience.  It  is  difficult  to  acquire,  but  the  Knights  have 
shown  that  it  can  be  done  by  persistence  and  the  collective  busi- 
ness ability  of  the  council. 

One  of  the  developments  of  the  desire  of  the  councils  for  per- 
manent homes  is  the  extremely  modern  acceptance  of  the  idea 
of  bringing  country  life  as  near  the  city  as  possible.  It  is  gen- 
erally conceded  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  promising  features 
of  our  American  life,  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  been 
quick  to  adopt  it  wherever  possible;  such  homes  as  that  of  the 


The  Permanent  Home  Movement  137 

Washington  and  Cleveland  Knights  illustrate  this  truth.  In  a 
few  years  it  is  possible  that  every  council  whose  means  will 
permit  will  have  a  suburban  place  in  which  its  members  and  their 
families  can  find  healthful  rest  and  recreation. 

Ordinary  clubrooms  leased  by  Knights  of  Columbus  councils 
when  they  do  not  own  their  own  quarters,  contain  such  features 
as  billiard  and  music-rooms,  and  often  council  chambers.  They 
are  centers  of  attraction  for  the  members,  and  have  served, 
unquestionably,  to  brighten  the  lot  of  the  service  men  to  whom 
their  doors  were  thrown  open  on  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  But 
the  council-owned  building  has  a  different  atmosphere;  it 
bestows  the  sense  of  common  proprietorship  that  builds  up  the 
fraternal  pride  upon  which  is  based  broader  action  resulting  in 
wider  influence. 

That  is  why  movements  in  New  York  and  Boston  were 
launched  (their  progress  being  halted  by  the  war  and  the  neces- 
sary suspension  of  all  unrelated  activities)  for  great  social 
centers  to  be  built  under  the  direction  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus. The  Knights  of  Columbus  Building  Association  of  Greater 
Boston,  formed  in  1915,  met  with  immediate  acclaim,  and  in  New 
York,  the  announcement  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  to 
campaign  for  a  fund  for  the  erection  of  a  Catholic  social 
center  was  hailed  everywhere  as  a  truly  momentous  decision  to 
give  New  York  something  worthy  of  its  status.  Unquestion- 
ably these  projects  in  Boston  and  New  York  will  stand,  when 
ultimately  achieved,  as  records  of  successful  Columbian  endeavor, 
for  they  will  benefit,  as  the  entire  permanent  home  movemeni 
will  benefit,  by  the  vast  prestige  gained  by  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus through  their  unselfish  and  faithful  fulfilment  of  the  great- 
est trust  reposed  in  any  American  fraternal  organization  during 
the  war. 

Some  of  the  happiest  demonstrations  made  by  subordinate 
councils  of  the  Order  have  been  on  the  occasion  of  the  dedica- 
tion and  opening  of  their  permanent  homes.  Especially  distin- 
guished was  the  gathering  which  witnessed  the  formal  dedication 
of  Detroit  Council's  home  in  1911,  Cardinal  Gibbons  and  many 


138      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

other  dignitaries  attending.  Detroit  Council,  in  the  summer  of 
1919,  announced  plans  for  the  handsomest  Knights  of  Columbus 
home  in  the  United  States,  $2,000,000  being  the  estimated  cost 
of  the  proposed  building.  Archbishop  Ireland  officiated  at  the 
dedication  of  the  St.  Paul  Council's  home.  In  San  Francisco  the 
Knights  made  the  opening  of  their  home  a  gala  event.  The 
record  could  be  repeated  to  the  end  of  the  long  list  of  councils 
fortunate  in  the  possession  of  attractive  buildings. 

Within  twenty-five  years,  the  progress  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  has  been  marked  by  the  growth  of  the  system  of  per- 
manent homes.  From  the  little  council  of  Cottonwood,  Idaho, 
which,  at  the  time  it  had  barely  100  members,  secured  a  $10,000 
home,  to  the  more  pretentious  structures  in  San  Francisco, 
Denver,  St.  Paul,  and  other  large  cities,  these  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus buildings  stand  as  the  most  convincing  demonstration  of  the 
Order's  public-spiritedness. 

The  entire  Catholic  public  should  be  quickly  responsive  to 
whatever  appeal  for  aid  the  Knights  of  Columbus  may  make  in 
their  campaign  for  permanent  social  centers.  Catholics  have 
always  been  ready  to  contribute  to  non-Catholic  campaigns  for 
recreational  and  social  purposes.  This  good-will  and  generosity 
will  surely  be  reciprocated  whenever  the  call  is  made.  In  this 
connection  the  Knights  of  Columbus  campaign  in  Columbus, 
Ohio,  for  $300,000  for  a  social  center,  conducted  in  the  summer 
of  1919,  is  historic.  The  campaign  was  successful,  as  it  deserved 
to  be.  It  is  recorded  as  a  hope  and  inspiration  for  future  success 
and  a  warranty  for  that  success. 

The  future  holds  promise  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  Order's  hopes 
—  for  a  community  to  have  its  social  center,  with  recreation  for 
the  young  and  education  for  young  and  old,  and  a  brotherly  wel- 
come to  all.  When  this  hope  is  realized  it  will  be  the  fullest  devel- 
opment of  the  social  ideals  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  it 
will  owe  its  success  to  the  thought  and  care  with  which  they  have 
met  the  problems  of  the  movement,  and  to  the  energy  with  which 
they  are  now  solving  them. 


CHAPTER  X 
PROMOTING  HIGHER  EDUCATION 

THE  first  step  taken  by  the  Order,  really  significant  of  the 
part  it  was  to  play  in  American  education,  was  the 
endowment  of  the  Chair  of  American  History  at  the 
Catholic  University  of  America.  Previous  to  this  the  Order  had 
not,  as  a  national  body,  undertaken  educational  work,  although 
individual  councils  had  encouraged  the  study  of  history  and 
Christian  doctrine  by  offering  prizes  to  successful  essayists  in 
parochial  school  contests,  and  also  by  founding  scholarships  in 
the  academic  departments  of  some  of  the  larger  Catholic  schools. 
Practiced  only  to  a  limited  extent  in  the  Order's  early  years,  this 
formed,  nevertheless,  a  stepping  stone  to  higher  efforts,  which 
began  with  the  movement  for  the  support  of  the  Catholic 
University. 

In  the  first  years  of  its  growth  the  Order's  energies  had  been 
mainly  employed  in  carefully  working  out  its  own  extension. 
There  were  enthusiasts  who,  stimulated  by  the  surprising  manner 
in  which  Columbianism  flourished  wherever  it  was  introduced, 
ardently  desired  the  Order  to  plunge,  before  it  had  really  reached 
robust  youth,  into  undertakings  of  national  scope;  but  the  cau- 
tion that  has  marked  every  administration  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  protected  the  Order  from  rash  enterprises  which,  how- 
ever benevolent,  might  have  proved  too  much  for  its  strength, 
and,  in  some  instances,  have  set  a  precedent  of  failure. 

In  1901  the  juncture  of  two  great  needs  brought  about  the 
Order's  first  decision  to  embark  upon  what  might  be  called  its 
career  of  public  service.  Impartial  investigation  and  presenta- 
tion of  American  history  was  felt  to  be  seriously  lacking,  the 
Catholic  University  of  America  was  threatened  with  financial 
embarrassment,  and  it  was  apparent  that  support  of  the  Univer- 
sity could  be  made  to  contribute  towards  the  advance  of  Ameri- 
can historical  science. 

[139] 


140      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  Catholic  University  represented  the  ideals  of  the  Catholic 
hierarchy  in  higher  education  and  in  the  aspirations  of  the  most 
cultivated  of  the  laity.  It  had  been  founded  under  the  most 
favorable  auspices.  In  every  country  in  which  there  is  a  large 
Catholic  population  there  always  comes  a  time  when  the  desire 
for  the  higher  education  of  the  clergy  becomes  acute  and  the 
Catholic  Church,  no  matter  how  poorly  she  may  be  circumstanced 
in  temporalities,  no  matter  under  what  difficulties  her  adherents 
must  struggle  to  support  her,  invariably  seeks  to  give  the  highest 
possible  education  to  those  who  are  called  to  the  priesthood.  A 
recent  example  in  her  history  is  the  foundation  of  the  famous 
University  of  Louvain.  A  group  of  distinguished  prelates, 
including  His  Eminence  Cardinal  Gibbons,  Bishop  Spalding,  of 
Peoria,  Archbishop  Ireland,  of  St.  Paul,  Bishop  Keane,  of  Rich- 
mond, Archbishop  Riordan,  of  San  Francisco,  and  the  present 
Bishop  of  Richmond,  then  Rector  of  the  American  College  at 
Rome,  had  conceived  the  idea  of  petitioning  the  Holy  See  for 
the  establishment  of  a  university  in  the  United  States  which 
should  supplement  the  training  of  the  seminaries.  In  an  address 
which  afterwards  became  almost  as  famous  as  Cardinal  New- 
man's Idea  of  a  University,  Bishop  Spalding  aroused  not  only 
the  enthusiasm  of  Catholics,  but  the  admiration  of  intellectual 
non-Catholics.  A  well-known  college  president,  having  read 
Bishop  Spalding's  address  on  the  ideals  of  this  university,  said: 
"  The  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States  has  at  last  found  the 
only  means  by  which  men  of  my  class  may  be  led  to  consider  her 
claims;  that  is,  she  is  about  to  offer  a  concrete  proof  of  her  claims 
that  she  is  the  intellectual  light  of  the  world." 

The  only  two  of  the  group  who  were  most  responsible  for  the 
creation  of  the  University,  now  living,  are  Cardinal  Gibbons  and 
Bishop  O'Connell,  of  Richmond.  They  represented  the  majority 
of  Catholics,  priests  and  laymen,  who  were  carried  away  by  their 
enthusiastic  optimism ;  but  to  many  it  seemed  as  if  the  University 
were  only  a  dream,  incapable  of  being  realized.  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons threw  all  his  energies  into  the  project.  Bishop  Keane  was 
elected  Rector,  and  he  at  once  proceeded  to  gather  about  him  a 


Promoting  Higher  Education  141 

corps  of  professors  drawn  from  every  great  university  that  could 
yield  one.  The  promise  of  the  University,  so  far  as  ecclesiastical 
education  was  concerned,  was  so  hopeful  that  the  hierarchy 
determined  to  found  departments  for  laymen  which  should  be 
purely  graduate.  This  was  a  movement  so  bold  and  considered 
so  impractical  that  every  great  university  in  the  country  looked 
on  it  with  interest,  approval,  and  even  a  certain  envy.  Johns 
Hopkins  had  attempted  to  form  a  purely  graduate  school  and 
had  been  obliged  to  surrender  to  circumstances ;  even  Clarke  Uni- 
versity was  obliged  to  compromise.  The  whole  intellectual  and 
university  world  in  the  United  States  watched  the  experiment 
and  hoped,  from  an  academic  point  of  view,  that  it  would  suc- 
ceed. The  Catholic  University  at  once,  owing  to  the  position  of 
its  professors  in  the  academic  world,  was  welcomed  into  the  most 
exclusive  fields  of  American-European  scholarship. 

It  was  a  foregone  conclusion  that  the  proverbial  generosity 
of  the  Catholic  public  would  second  the  efforts  of  the  hierarchy, 
and  the  future  of  the  University  seemed  assured,  when,  in  one 
of  those  local  crises  depending  on  real  estate  investments  in  which 
fortunes  are  suddenly  made  or  lost,  the  treasurer  of  the  Univer- 
sity, to  whom,  owing  to  his  high  character  and  reputation.,  the 
greater  part  of  the  funds  of  the  University  had  been  entrusted, 
made  an  unfortunate  miscalculation.  It  was  then  that  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  came  to  the  assistance  of  the  University, 
to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

Bishop  Conaty,  of  Los  Angeles,  had,  in  the  early  part  of 
Edward  L.  Hearn's  incumbency  of  the  Supreme  Knightship, 
suggested  to  him  the  feasibility  of  the  Order's  endowing  a  Chair 
of  American  History  at  the  Catholic  University.  The  Very  Rev. 
Dr.  P.  J.  Garrigan,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  and 
then  Rector  of  the  University,  addressed  the  National  Conven- 
tion in  New  Haven  in  1899,  repeating  Bishop  Conaty's  sugges- 
tion. The  Knights  generally  felt  that  action  should  be  taken 
towards  furthering  the  study  of  American  history.  Old  preju- 
dices were  continually  appearing  in  works  of  history  used  as 
text-books  in  the  public  schools,  thus  propagating  them  to  the 


142      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

detriment  of  religious  peace.     It  was  urgent  that  an  impartial 
and  scientific  study  should  be  financially  supported. 

Dr.  Garrigan's  proposal  was  unanimously  accepted  by  the 
Supreme  Council.  "  We  ask  you  to  join  hands  with  us,"  he  said, 
"  in  correcting  the  many  errors  which  have  been  spread  abroad 
for  the  last  hundred  years,  here  and  elsewhere,  about  our  Church, 
our  Faith  and  our  people,  to  clear  away  the  clouds  that  have  been 
hanging  over  us  for  the  last  century,  and  to  bring  the  truth  to  the 
light  of  day,  so  that  all  men  may  place  us  where  we  belong." 

Three  of  the  most  influential  members  of  the  Order  —  Messrs. 
Joseph  C.  Pelletier  of  Boston,  C.  A.  Webber  of  New  York  and 
James  A.  Flaherty  of  Philadelphia,  were  constituted  a  commit- 
tee to  manage  the  collection  of  a  fund  of  $50,000  to  endow  a 
Chair  of  American  History  at  the  University.  Through  repeated 
appeals  in  The  Columhiad  and  diligent  canvassing  of  members 
through  their  councils,  this  committee  was  finally  able  to  report 
to  the  Board  of  Directors  that  the  total  of  $50,000  had  not  only 
been  collected,  but  exceeded.  The  time  taken  to  collect  this  fund 
—  five  years,  from  the  spring  of  1899  to  the  spring  of  1904  — 
seems  long  in  the  light  of  present-day  accomplishments ;  but  when 
it  is  recalled  that  this  was  the  first  experience  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  in  the  launching  of  a  large  enterprise,  that  the  member- 
ship numbered  less  than  50,000  when  the  movement  began,  and 
only  110,000  when  it  was  successfully  completed,  and  that  the 
process  of  the  Order's  development  —  principally  into  mid-West 
and  far  West  territory  —  called  for  large  inroads  into  its 
resources  and  the  resources  of  individual  councils,  the  merit  of 
the  achievement  can  be  better  appreciated. 

It  must  be  frankly  stated  that  there  seemed,  at  first,  a  lack  of 
realization  of  the  significance  of  the  task,  but  this  the  committee 
in  charge  of  the  campaign  for  the  fund  overcame  by  persistent 
propaganda.  Demands  upon  Catholic  resources  were  then  rela- 
tively greater  than  they  are  today.  Furthermore,  general  pub- 
licity, as  scientifically  applied  to  fund  drives,  was  then  only  in  the 
first  stages  of  development,  and  was  rather  distrusted  by  Catho- 
lics, traditionally  conservative.    Continued  emphasizing  of  the 


THE  IKNZOMTS    OF  COIJOMB-Q^  IM  HSA.CE  AMD '^^^i. 


Promoting  Higher  Education  143 

great  opportunity  offered  the  Order  gradually  brought  the  entire 
membership  to  a  correct  valuation  of  the  project  to  which  they 
were  committed.  Working  with  as  much  skill  as  industry  the  com- 
mittee at  length  brought  about  a  rivalry  among  the  councils  to 
be  the  first  to  obtain  their  quota  of  the  fund,  and  finally  the 
money  was  collected,  with  an  excess  of  more  than  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  can  be  said,  without  in  any  degree  slighting 
the  important  character  of  the  foundation,  that  the  Knights,  in 
another  direction,  had  achieved  a  success  as  significant  as  the 
collection  of  the  fund,  by  discovering  the  processes  through  which 
Catholic  interest,  once  created  in  favor  of  an  enterprise,  could 
be  held  until  a  definite  end  was  accomplished. 

In  all  records  of  endeavor  crowned  with  success,  the  rugged- 
ness  of  the  path  of  the  toiler  is  lost  in  the  brilliance  of  the  goal 
achieved.  Those  not  actively  engaged  in  this,  the  Order's  first 
educational  fund  campaign,  can  little  realize  the  arduousness  of 
the  task  which  was  finally  completed  in  March,  1904,  after  sixty 
months  of  unremitting  effort. 

On  April  18th  of  that  year  the  Knights  won,  for  the  first  time, 
recognition  as  patrons  of  higher  education  when  Supreme  Knight 
Hearn  presented  to  the  Chancellor  of  the  Catholic  University, 
His  Eminence  Cardinal  Gibbons,  the  check  for  $50,000  founding 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  Chair  of  American  History.  Thou-i 
sands  of  Knights  from  every  State  in  which  the  Order  was  then 
operating,  were  present.  It  is  estimated  that,  in  all,  over  ten 
thousand  persons  witnessed  the  ceremonies.  Cardinal  Gibbons 
was  the  central  figure,  presiding  upon  a  dais  surrounded  by  some 
of  the  most  eminent  dignitaries  of  the  Church  and  the  faculty 
of  the  University.  Archbishop  Ryan  made  the  invocation  and 
Monsignor  O'Connell,  the  Rector,  spoke  the  address  of  welcome, 
in  which  he  declared  to  the  assembled  Knights :  "  You  have 
erected  within  the  walls  of  this  institution  a  monument  to  your 
organization  that  will  tell  to  ages  to  come,  while  the  granite 
abides,  what  sentiments  of  faith,  of  patriotism  and  of  culture 
animated  the  Knights  of  Columbus  of  the  present  generation." 

After  Supreme  Knight  Hearn  had  presented  the  check  Car- 
dinal Gibbons  delivered  a  brief  speech  of  acceptance,  expressing 


144      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

his  personal  gratitude  and  the  gratitude  of  the  University. 
"  Gentlemen  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,"  he  said,  "  you  do  not 
possess  royal  titles,  nor  regal  purses,  but  you  have  proved  toda\- 
that  you  possess  royal  hearts,  and  deserve  the  noble  title  which 
you  bear.  May  you  increase  in  numbers  and  usefulness,  and  may 
you  continue  to  merit  in  the  future,  as  you  have  deserved  in  the 
past,  the  confidence  and  support  of  the  prelates  and  clergy  of  the 
United  States.  Let  your  motto  ever  be,  '  Loyalty  to  God  and 
Country.'  " 

Bishop  Garrigan  followed  the  Cardinal  with  a  brief  address 
in  which  he  outlined  the  story  of  his  connection  with  the  move- 
ment for  the  fund,  and  Hon.  John  J.  Delaney,  Past  State  Deputy 
of  New  York,  concluded  the  ceremonies  with  a  masterful  oration 
on  the  educational  aims  of  the  Order.  On  the  following  day 
President  Roosevelt  took  occasion  to  congratulate  the  Knights 
upon  their  achievement  when  he  received  a  large  delegation  of 
members  and  their  wives. 

The  check  itself  was  a  richly  illuminated  parchment  carrying 
the  names  of  the  councils  contributing  to  the  fund.  These  were 
arranged  in  order  according  to  the  average  amount,  per  member, 
contributed.  Duquesne  Council  of  Pittsburgh  headed  the  list, 
being  followed  by  Lowell  Council  of  Massachusetts,  Manhattan 
Council  of  New  York  City,  Admiral  Dewey  Council  of  Brook- 
lyn and  Butte  Council.  The  Catholic  press  fully  reported  the 
event  and  the  secular  papers  gave  it  generous  notice.  The  exact 
sum  collected  was  $53,042.11,  the  balance  over  $50,000  being 
devoted  to  the  purchase  of  books  to  assist  in  making  the  foun- 
dation efifective. 

With  this  as  a  landmark  in  their  history  the  Knights  were 
ambitious  to  become  more  active  in  the  promotion  of  higher  edu- 
cation. Each  member  felt  the  interest  which  a  man  always  feels 
in  having  helped  to  further  a  great  cause.  The  statements  occa- 
sionally published  in  The  Cohimhiad  by  Dr.  Charles  R.  McCarthy, 
Professor  of  American  History  at  the  Catholic  University  and 
author  of  A  School  History  of  the  United  States,  on  the 
Knights   of   Columbus   foundation,   were   read   eagerly   by   the 


Promoting  Higher  Education  145 

members.  The  knowledge  that  they  had  enhanced  the  dignity 
and  usefulness  of  one  of  the  nation's  leading  educational  centers 
created  the  desire  to  render  further  assistance.  In  1907,  Arch- 
bishop Glennon,  representing  the  Catholic  hierarchy  appeared 
before  the  Supreme  Council  at  Jamestown,  Va.,  and  delivered  in 
the  name  of  the  Chancellor  and  Trustees  of  the  Catholic  Uni- 
versity, an  appeal  to  the  Knights  to  raise  $500,000  as  an  endow- 
ment for  the  University.  Previously,  in  a  letter  to  Supreme 
Knight  Hearn,  the  Archbishop  had  outlined  the  crisis  that  had 
come  in  the  affairs  of  the  University  and  called  upon  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  for  aid.  The  Archbishop's  letter,  of  first  historical 
interest,  merits  presentation  in  full : 

St.  Louis,  Mo., 

July  1 8,  1907 
Edward  L.  Hearn, 

Supreme  Knight,  Knights  of  Columbus, 

New  Haven,  Conn. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Hearn  : 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Catholic  University  of  America, 
held  April  the  tenth,  nineteen  hundred  and  seven  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
there  being  present  the  Archbishops  of  America,  who  are  ex-officio  Trus- 
tees, together  with  some  of  the  Bishops,  notably  Bishops  Maes  and  Harkins, 
and  Messrs.  Bonaparte,  Jenkins  and  Crimmins,  the  question  of  the 
finances  of  the  University  was  discussed  and  various  recommendations 
made  in  regard  to  the  adjustment  and  satisfactory  development  of  the 
same. 

This  plan  was  finally  adopted  upon  motion  'of  the  undersigned,  that, 
whereas,  the  funds  now  invested  for  the  benefit  of  the  University  amounted 
to  five  hundred  thousand  dollars;  that  within  five  years  an  additional  sum 
of  two  hundred  fifty  thousand  dollars  would  be  available,  from  the  collec- 
tions annually  taken  up  in  the  various  dioceses ;  and  in  the  opinion  of  the 
lawyers  of  the  University,  the  minimum  amount  to  be  derived  from  the 
Waggaman  Estate  will  be  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  making  the  total 
endowment  of  the  University,  one  million  fifty  thousand  dollars.  As  the 
present  running  expenses  of  the  University  are  about  seventy  thousand  dol- 
lars a  year,  there  would  be  necessary  to  produce  this  revenue,  a  sum  of 
one-half  million  dollars  in  addition  to  the  above  stated  endowment,  making  a 
total  of  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  at  current  interest 
rates  could  safely  produce  the  desired  seventy  thousand  dollars. 


146      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

To  raise  this  additional  one-half  million  dollars,  it  was  still  further 
urged  by  the  undersigned,  that  the  amount  could  be  raised  by  the  Society 
of  which  you  are  the  honored  Head ;  and  this  resolution  was  unanimously 
favored  and  passed  by  the  assembled  Trustees.  His  Eminence,  Cardinal 
Gibbons,  appointed  the  undersigned,  together  with  the  Archbishops  of 
Dubuque  and  Milwaukee  to  act  upon  the  same.  Consequently,  I  have  the 
honor  of  addressing  you  in  reference  to  the  above,  and  will  state  frankly 
my  motives  in  proposing  it  to  the  Trustees  and  their  evident  reasons  for 
passing  it. 

It  is  known  to  the  Archbishops  and  has  been  frequently  urged  by 
representatives  of  your  Society  that  you  always  stand  ready  to  work 
for  the  Church,  and  to  do  so  intelligently  and  efficiently,  but,  w'hereas  your 
pronounced  intention  has  been  often  asserted  and  no  object  worthy  enough, 
definite  enough,  and  Catholic  enough,  has  been  laid  before  you,  conse- 
quently your  efTorts  have  been  localized  and  set  in  varying  channels,  all 
of  which,  of  course,  were  quite  commendable  and  evidenced  the  devotion 
of  individual  Chapters.  Furthermore,  various  appeals  have  been  made  to 
you  in  National  Conventions,  which  were  the  expressions  of  individual 
zeal  and  personal  opinions.  Each  diocese,  each  parish  and  each  charit)- 
makes  and  has  made  its  own  claims  and  your  Organization  has  faithfully 
responded. 

My  purpose  was  to,  as  it  were,  centralize  your  Catholic  activities  and 
place  before  you  an  object  Catholic  and  National  at  the  same  time;  and 
fuse  the  activities  of  your  Society  into  one  grand  movement  that  would 
stand  out  at  the  head  of  all  the  Catholic,  National  and  Charitable  move- 
ments of  the  United  States. 

To  raise  one-half  million  dollars,  the  members  of  your  Society  would  have 
to  contribute,  on  an  average,  fifty  cents  a  year  for  five  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time,  your  two  hundred  thousand  members  would  have  an  endow- 
ment of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  present  to  the  Catholic  Uni- 
versity of  America. 

The  resolution  furthermore  included  the  purpose  of  allocating  this  fund 
to  the  one  hundred  dioceses  of  America,  And  while  the  individual  dioceses 
might  not  elect  to  avail  themselves  of  the  free  place  thus  accredited  to  them, 
yet  the  endowment  would  continue  the  University  work  in  a  thoroughly  sol- 
vent condition.  Furthermore  from  your  generosity,  there  would  be  a  stated 
condition  of  success  given  the  Divinity  Department  of  the  University,  as  the 
purpose  of  the  resolution  was  to  dedicate  this  endowment  to  the  Divinity 
Department  alone.  Our  argument  was  that  on  the  success  of  the  Divinity 
Department,  the  other  departments  would  follow  suit  and  develop 
proportionately. 

Some  of  the  Trustees  were  in  favor  of  inviting  other  Catholic  Societies 
but  the  majority  voted  to  leave  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  out  Committee 
and  your  Organization  was  the  only  one  named  or  discussed. 


Promoting  Higher  Education  147 

I  am  aware  that  if  you  were  to  undertake  this  work,  many  local  activi- 
ties would  have  to  be  held  in  abeyance  for  the  time  and  that  local  criticism 
might  arise.  For  instance,  in  our  own  Archdiocese,  we  are  now  building  a 
great  Cathedral  and  I  have  the  unsolicited  allegiance  and  financial  sup- 
port of  the  local  Chapter  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  Elsewhere  similar 
local  activities  and  sympathy  prevail,  but  I  feel  sure  that  this  other,  which 
comes  with  the  united  approval  of  the  American  Hierarchy  would  prevail 
over  such  local  activities.  And  again,  from  your  standpoint,  there  is 
more  significance,  definiteness  and  a  corresponding  amount  of  approval  to 
be  obtained  by  you  in  working  towards  one,  national  Catholic  purpose, 
giving  you  the  position  your  friends  believe  you  entitled  to,  namely,  the 
leading  Catholic  Society  of  the  leading  Catholic  people  of  the  United 
States. 

Lastly,  the  strategic  value  as  silencing  criticism  that  appears  here  in 
America  unjust,  and  upbuilding  your  good  name  everywhere,  is  quite  clear. 

I  would  like  to  hear  from  you  so  that  I  can  report  to  the  members  of 
our  Committee  and  take  further  action  as  your  letter  or  their  suggestions 
may  direct. 

In  the  meantime,  I  remain,  with  all  good  wishes. 

Sincerely  yours, 
Signed  —  John  J.  Glennon, 

Archbishop  of  St.  Louis. 

This  proposal  was  a  profound  surprise  to  the  Knights,  who 
were  none  the  less  gratified  by  the  esteem  in  which  they  were  held 
by  the  hierarchy.  The  Board  of  Directors,  interpreting  the  atti- 
tude of  the  rank  and  file,  were  animated  by  a  desire  to  do  some- 
thing on  a  large  scale  for  the  University,  but  they  had  not  imag- 
ined that  a  request  would  be  made  for  so  large  a  sum.  With 
a  membership  of  little  more  than  150,000  the  per  capita  contri- 
bution for  the  $500,000  endowment  approximated  $4  per  member. 
Serious  doubts  were  entertained  as  to  whether  the  sum  could  be 
raised.  But  the  Knights  dismissed  their  doubts.  In  executive 
session  it  was  voted  unanimously  to  accept  the  hierarchy's  request 
as  a  command.  The  Order  cheerfully  committed  itself  to  the 
colossal  task.  An  arrangement  with  Cardinal  Gibbons  giving  the 
Knights  fifty  scholarships  in  perpetuity,  one  for  each  $10,000, 
was  considered  a  generous  return  for  their  offering  on  behalf 
of  the  University,  and  a  committee  was  named  by  the  Supreme 


148      The  Knigttts  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Knight,  headed  by  Mr.  Thomas  P.  Fay,  of  Long  Branch,  a  Past 
State  Deputy  of  New  Jersey.  The  duty  of  this  committee  was 
to  find  out  how  the  sentiment  of  the  majority  of  the  councils  lay 
regarding  the  character  and  distribution  of  the  scholarships  guar- 
anteed through  the  proposed  fund. 

Unexperienced  in  the  conduct  of  such  a  task  and  diffident  as 
to  the  prospect,  the  Board  of  Directors  considered  ways  and 
means  for  the  raising  of  the  fund.  The  committee  headed  by 
Mr.  Fay  reported  to  the  Supreme  Council  in  St.  Louis,  1908, 
that  sentiment  throughout  the  Order  was  cordially  behind  the 
project,  although  there  were  differences  of  opinion  as  to  how 
the  scholarships  should  be  distributed,  some  holding  that  each 
council  contributing  to  the  fund  should  have  the  right  to  name  a 
scholar,  after  due  examination,  a  process  at  that  time  considered 
impractical,  and  subsequent  experience  has  justified  this  conclu- 
sion. A  recommendation  of  the  committee  was  to  the  effect  that 
the  Order's  constitution  should  be  revised  to  permit  taxation  for 
the  fund;  but  this  was  deemed  inadvisable,  as  it  was  felt  that 
the  money  should  and  could  be  raised  without  that. 

With  an  official  journal  reaching  every  member  of  the  Order 
every  month,  and  with  support  from  the  Catholic  press  and  occa- 
sional mention  in  the  columns  of  the  secular  press,  it  was  felt 
that  sufficient  publicity  could  be  obtained  to  keep  alive  the  interest 
of  the  membership  in  the  movement.  A  committee  was  named  to 
have  full  charge  of  the  campaign,  Mr.  Edward  H.  Doyle  of 
Detroit,  being  Chairman,  Mr.  Philip  A.  Hart  of  Bryn  Mawr, 
Secretary,  and  Mr.  Festus  J.  Wade  of  St.  Louis,  Supreme 
Knight  Hearn  being  a  member,  ex-officio.  Mr.  Wade  later 
resigned,  being  succeeded  by  Mr.  Joseph  M.  Byrne  of  Newark, 
N.  J.  The  cordial  support  of  the  hierarchy  warranted  confi- 
dence in  the  result  of  the  campaign,  although  the  fact  was  always 
borne  prominently  in  mind  that  the  appeal  would  be  restricted  to 
members  of  the  Order. 

In  January,  1909,  the  Board  of  Directors  decided  to  finance 
the  campaign,  $25,000  being  appropriated  for  the  expenses  of 
the  committee.     The  movement  was  pushed  forward  and  coun- 


Promoting  Higher  Education  149 

cils  in  all  parts  of  the  country  made  response  to  the  vigorous 
appeals  circulated  through  the  mails,  in  the  official  journal  and 
in  the  Catholic  press.  The  campaign  became  the  paramount 
topic  of  discussion  at  council  meetings,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1909,  when  the  State  councils  convened,  each  State  Deputy  made 
it  the  central  theme  of  his  annual  report.  When  The  Colnm- 
biad  reported  that  some  of  the  first  subscriptions  came  from 
councils  in  Canada  —  a  country  foreign  to  the  scope  although 
not  to  the  purpose  of  the  University  —  the  effect  was  electrical. 
Again,  rivalry  began  between  councils  to  have  their  full,  theo- 
retic quota  first  in  the  hands  of  the  Supreme  Secretary.  When 
the  Supreme  Council  assembled  in  Mobile  in  August,  1909,  the 
committee  was  able  to  report  that  830  councils  had  responded  to 
its  appeals,  each  with  a  sum  representing  a  substantial  portion 
of  its  hoped-for  contribution.  This  report  stimulated  interest 
to  a  high  pitch,  so  that  by  February,  1910,  the  fund  was- growing 
at  the  rate  of  $17,000  per  month.  Reinforcements  came  through 
the  efiforts  of  another  committee,  that  on  Catholic  Higher  Edu- 
cation, appointed  by  the  Supreme  Council.  Dr.  James  J.  Walsh 
was  Chairman  of  this  committee,  his  colleagues  being  Professor 
James  C.  Monaghan  and  the  Reverend  Dr.  John  T.  Creagh. 
At  each  Supreme  Council  meeting,  until  their  disbandment  in 
1913,  the  Committee  on  Catholic  Higher  Education  reported  the 
results  of  their  diligent  research  and  investigation  to  the  dele- 
gates. Among  many  other  interesting  phenomena  this  committee 
found  that  there  were,  in  the  United  States,  44,000  religious 
engaged  in  educational  work,  teaching  in  colleges  and  universi- 
ties as  well  as  in  parish  schools,  on  the  moderate  basis  of  $750 
yearly  salary  for  each  religious.  It  was  estimated  that 
$30,000,000  a  year  would  be  required  to  pay  them  —  a  sum 
greater  than  the  interest  on  the  combined  endowments  of  secular 
universities  at  that  time.  The  committee  reported  fully  on  the 
curricula  of  Catholic  colleges  and  on  many  cognate  matters.  Its 
labors  served  to  instruct  the  Knights  in  the  need  and  nature  of 
their  great  undertaking,  and,  incidentally,  to  provide  much  valu- 
able information  to  educators  everywhere. 
II 


150      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

After  encouraging  progress  in  the  early  months  of  1910,  sub- 
scriptions to  the  fund  began  to  lag,  although  over  1,200  councils 
had  responded  with  partial  contributions,  payment  being  extended 
over  a  period  of  two  years,  by  the  end  of  the  year. 

In  1911  the  committee  reported  to  the  Supreme  Council  at 
its  meeting  in  Detroit  in  August  that  year  that  $293,557.51 
had  been  raised,  199  councils  having  entirely  discharged  their 
obligations,  Pennsylvania  heading  the  list  of  states  with  36  coun- 
cils. The  final  drive  was  launched,  and  a  year  later,  at  the 
Supreme  Council  meeting  in  Colorado  Springs,  the  total  had 
reached  $412,503.16,  only  $6,647.50  remaining  unpledged  and 
$87,416  unpaid  on  pledges.  The  Finance  Committee  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  entrusted  with  the  fund,  had  invested  the 
portions  collected  so  that  an  average  yield  of  4.20  per  cent  was 
received.  By  July,  1912,  the  councils  in  Colorado,  New  Hamp- 
shire, Vermont,  Utah,  North  Carolina,  Cuba  and  the  Canal  Zone, 
had  paid  in  full.  At  the  State  Council  meetings  in  1913,  special 
effort  was  urged  by  all  State  Deputies  whose  jurisdictions  had 
not  fully  subscribed,  with  the  result  that  the  end  of  the  year  found 
the  fund  subscribed  to  the  last  dollar. 

On  January  6,  1914,  formal  presentation  of  the  fund  was 
made  by  Supreme  Knight  Flaherty  before  a  distinguished  gather- 
ing at  Cardinal  Gibbons'  residence  in  Baltimore,  Monsignor 
Shahan,  the  Rector  of  the  University,  Archbishop  Prendergast 
of  Philadelphia,  and  other  prelates  and  a  committee  of  the 
Supreme  Board  of  Directors  and  Messrs.  Boyle  and  Hart  of  the 
Educational  Committee  being  present.  The  $500,000  was  deliv- 
ered in  the  form  of  first  mortgage,  underlying  bonds. 

In  his  address  accepting  the  endowment,  Cardinal  Gibbons 
declared,  "  The  Knights  of  Columbus  take  their  place  this  day 
in  the  foremost  rank  of  the  benefactors  of  humanity.  What  was 
formerly  done  by  the  great  ones  of  this  earth,  the  creation  and 
endowment  of  the  highest  institutions  of  learning,  and  what  in 
our  own  times  has  been  the  privilege  of  wealthy  individuals,  has, 
through  the  Knights  of  Columbus  been  accomplished  for  the 
first  time  by  the  corporate  efforts  and  sacrifices  of  Catholics 


Promoting  Higher  Education  151 

associated  for  the  highest  interests,  religious  and  civil."  Mgr. 
Shahan  added  the  gratitude  of  the  faculty  to  that  of  the  Chan- 
cellor when  he  declared:  *' No  words  can  carry  the  message 
of  gratitude  due  the  Knights  of  Columbus  for  the  great  work 
they  have  done  in  the  face  of  the  world  by  founding  in  the  Catho- 
lic University  at  Washington  fifty  graduate  scholarships  for 
young  laymen.  When  every  proper  memorial  of  the  noble  deed 
has  been  set  up,  it  will  still  be  true  that  time  alone  can  create 
and  reveal  its  fitting  reward  —  the  men  who  in  the  next  generation 
will  be  at  once  the  product  of  this  generous  foundation  and  the 
heralds  of  its  timeliness,  its  power  and  its  varied  service  to  the 
common  cause  of  religion  and  country."  Similar  words  of  praise 
were  received  from  prelates  who  could  not  personally  attend  the 
ceremony. 

Supreme  Advocate  Pelletier  submitted  to  the  authorities  of 
the  University  a  plan  for  the  distribution  of  the  scholarships, 
which  called  for  competitive  examinations  in  different  parts  of 
the  country,  these  being  arranged  so  that  all  sections  would  have 
an  opportunity  to  be  represented  by  selected  candidates.  The 
agreement  entered  into  between  the  Order  and  the  University 
stipulated  that  the  fifty  full  scholarships,  each  scholarship 
including  tuition,  board  and  lodging  during  the  academic  year, 
were  for  courses  of  study  for  Masters'  and  Doctors'  degrees 
(except  in  law,  medicine  and  theology)  but  only  for  lay  students 
holding  the  degree  Bachelor  of  Arts  or  Bachelor  of  Science  or 
its  equivalent.  It  was  specified  that  preference  be  given  to 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  their  sons,  and  that  every  incumbent 
be  compelled  to  take  at  least  one  course  in  the  Department  of 
American  History.  It  was  agreed  also,  to  award  the  scholar- 
ships becoming  vacant  during  the  academic  year  to  the  nominees 
of  Cardinal  Gibbons,  and  upon  his  decease  to  nominees  chosen 
in  whatever  manner  the  University  and  the  Order's  Board  of 
Directors  might  determine.  In  this  connection  Past  Supreme 
Knight  Hearn  had  declared  that  devotion  to  Cardinal  Gibbons, 
quite  as  much  as  any  other  consideration,  had  impelled  the 
Knights  to  make  the  endowment. 


152      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

One  great  attraction  of  the  scholarships  which  the  University 
offered  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  that  they  were  not  purely 
academic  in  the  sense  of  dealing  with  what  are  called  the  Classics. 
While  the  University  strongly  emphasized,  more  strongly,  per- 
haps, than  almost  any  other  American  university,  the  necessity 
of  Classical  culture,  it  had  from  the  beginning  taken  into  consid- 
eration the  changing  conditions  and  the  needs  of  our  time.  The 
ideals  of  the  Renaissance  were  no  longer  the  ideals  of  the  well- 
equipped  modern  educator.  Therefore  the  Catholic  University 
had  made  ample  provision  for  the  teaching  of  those  sciences 
which  must  be  part  of  the  equipment  of  any  very  well  educated 
man  of  today.  The  value  of  its  courses  in  the  science  of  political 
economy  might  be  gauged  by  the  fact  that  Dr.  Carroll  Wright, 
Dr.  Charles  P.  Neill,  the  Reverend  Dr.  William  Kerby  and  the 
Reverend  Dr.  John  A.  Ryan  were  among  the  professors  in  this 
department,  and  with  Dr.  Thomas  Bouquillon  formed  a  group 
most  attractive  to  all  serious  students.  The  Department  of 
Physics  was  in  charge  of  Dr.  Shea,  of  Harvard  and  Berlin; 
Chemistry,  which  achieved  a  great  reputation  during  the  war, 
was  under  the  direction  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  Griffin,  formerly 
of  Johns  Hopkins. 

The  names  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  Edward  A.  Pace  in  Psycholog)' 
and  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  Shields  in  Pedagogy  need  only  to  be 
mentioned  to  show  the  quality  of  the  scholarship  in  their  depart- 
ments. The  University,  in  fact,  formed  an  admirable  synthesis 
between  the  best  traditions  of  classical  times  and  the  advantages 
of  the  most  modern  research.  It  is  probably  the  only  university 
in  the  country  where  a  system  of  philosophy  pure  and  simple 
was  substituted  for  the  usual  course  in  the  history  of  philosophy 
which  it  was  popular  to  offer.  Here  the  despotic  principles  of 
Hegel  and  the  much-overrated  school  of  modern  German  phil- 
osophers were  not  slavishly  followed,  and  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus soon  discovered  that  the  courses  of  the  University  were  not 
only  attractive  to  the  student  who  worked  for  the  sake  of  knowl- 
edge, but  useful  to  the  man  who,  forced  into  practical  life,  must 
make  his  wav  in  the  world. 


Promoting  Higher  Education  153 

Approximately  one  hundred  young  men  have,  so  far,  enjoyed 
the  scholarships/  They  have  gone  to  Washington  from  all  parts 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  graduates  of  practically  every 
well-known  American  and  Canadian  Catholic  college.  These 
young  men,  thoroughly  trained  in  science,  philosophy,  and  letters, 
have  gone  out  into  the  world  equipped  better,  perhaps,  than  any 
body  of  laymen,  to  take  their  part  in  public  life.  Many  of  them 
have  become  professors  in  other  universities;  all  of  them  have, 
from  the  day  of  graduation,  given  substantial  evidence  of  the 
value  of  higher  training.  The  Fellows  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus Catholic  University  Endowment,  a  body  formed  by  these  men, 
knits  them  together  in  an  effective  union,  so  that,  through  the 
frequent  exchange  of  ideas  and  experiences  they  are  not  only 
able  to  continue  in  after  life  the  benefits  of  the  university  train- 
ing in  their  private  careers,  but  are  able  to  increase,  through 
united  thought  and  action,  their  usefulness  as  citizens. 

When  war  became  inevitable  in  the  early  Spring  of  1917, 
Bishop  Shahan  placed  all  the  facilities  of  the  Catholic  Univer- 
sity at  the  disposal  of  the  government,  President  Wilson  acknowl- 
edging this  act  in  a  gracious  letter  of  thanks.  The  Knights  of 
Columbus  scholarships  were  naturally  affected  because  the 
majority  of  the  scholars  were  of  military  age.  The  first  Field 
Secretary  appointed  to  do  the  Order's  war  relief  work  was  Mr. 
Clarence  E.  Manion,  a  Knights  of  Columbus  scholar.  Others  of 
the  scholars  became  secretaries,  afterwards  enlisting  in  the 
Army,  as  did  Manion.  Playing  well  the  part  their  sense  of  duty 
impelled  them  to  take  in  the  war,  these  young  men  are  admirably 
equipped  and  creditably  eager  to  contribute  their  share  towards 
the  solution  of  the  problems  of  reconstruction. 

This  endowment  stands  as  the  greatest  lay  achievement  for 
American  Catholic  education  and  its  effect  is  augmented  by  the 
action  of  individual  State  Councils  of  the  Order  in  supporting 
scholarships  for  worthy  and  ambitious  youths.  As  long  ago  as 
1898  the  State  Council  of  Massachusetts,  on  the  death  of 
Supreme  Knight  James  E.  Hayes,  founded  a  perpetual  scholar- 
ship in  Boston  College  to  his  memory.     The  Michigan  Knights 

'See  Vol.  3  for  complete  list  of  holders  of  Knights  of  Columbus  Graduate  Scholarships  in  the  Catholic 
University  of  America. 


154     The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

have  for  many  years  maintained  free  scholarships  in  Detroit 
University;  the  New  Jersey  Knights  in  Seton  Hall  and  St.  Peter's 
Colleges;  the  New  York  Knights  in  St.  Bonaventure's  College 
and  other  schools;  the  Missouri  Knights  in  St.  Louis  Univer- 
sity (the  State  Council  of  Missouri  has  recently  erected  a  mag- 
nificent home  and  club  building  for  students  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Columbia) ;  the  California  Knights  in  Santa  Clara 
University;  the  Texas  Knights  in  Dallas  University,  and  so  on 
through  the  country  scores  of  young  men  annually  receive  under- 
graduate scholarships  through  State  Councils,  many  of  these 
providing  for  board  and  lodging  and  books  as  well  as  for  tuition. 
Indeed,  but  recently  the  Texas  State  Council  underwrote  a  pro- 
spective fund  of  $200,000  for  Dallas  University. 

Supplementing  this,  the  Knights  have  taken  a  wise  and  pro- 
gressive step  in  regard  to  their  co-religionists  who  attend  State 
universities.  At  State  College,  Pennsylvania,  the  State  Council 
built,  in  1914,  by  subscription  restricted  to  the  membership  of 
the  Order  in  the  State,  a  Catholic  chapel  for  which  a  well-known 
architect  graciously  donated  his  services.  In  Wisconsin  the 
Knights  did  the  same  thing  at  Madison;  in  Minnesota  and  else- 
where the  Knights  helped  to  maintain  a  Catholic  chaplain  for 
their  co-religionists  attending  State  universities.  The  Ontario 
Knights,  in  1912,  at  the  suggestion  of  their  State  Chaplain,  the 
Right  Reverend  Bishop  Fallon  of  London,  voted  to  tax  them- 
selves for  a  number  of  years  to  provide  $40,000  with  which  to 
furnish  books  to  the  parochial  schools  of  the  province.  As  Past 
Supreme  Knight  Hearn  so  well  expressed  it,  "  Educate  the 
Young  "  has  been  emblazoned  on  the  banners  of  Columbianism, 
and  in  a  thousand  minor  ways  the  Knights  of  all  jurisdictions 
have  contributed  to  the  cumulative  effectiveness  of  the  Order's 
national  efforts  for  higher  education. 

The  work  was  not  restricted  to  the  young,  nor  to  the  promo- 
tion of  academic  training.  Through  the  Catholic  Truth  Com- 
mittee of  their  Supreme  Board  the  Knights,  by  undertaking  to 
circulate  the  Catholic  Encyclopedia,  rendered  most  substantial 
aid  to  the  spread  of  accurate  knowledge.    While  Catholics,  as  a 


Promoting  Higher  Education  155 

rule,  may  be  familiar  with  the  truths  of  their  religion  and  able 
to  explain  these  truths,  there  are  so  many  questions  in  which 
religion,  politics,  ethics  and  sociology  are  so  closely  intermingled 
that  an  advanced  and  special  study  is,  even  among  the  best 
instructed,  a  necessary  and  valuable  thing.  The  Reverend  John  J. 
Wynne,  Editor  of  the  Catholic  Encyclopedia,  at  the  meeting  of 
the  Supreme  Council  in  Detroit  in  1911,  placed  before  the  dele- 
gates the  claims  of  that  unique  thesaurus  of  research  applied  by 
Catholics  to  all  the  departments  of  human  knowledge.  The  result 
was  a  unanimous  decision  to  promote  to  the  utmost  its  circula- 
tion, the  aim  being  to  induce  each  member  to  place  the  Encyclo- 
pedia in  his  home.  The  columns  of  The  Columbiad  were  thrown 
open  to  appeals  by  the  Catholic  Truth  Committee,  which 
announced  that  a  Knights  of  Columbus  edition  of  the  Encyclo- 
pedia, produced  at  a  price  within  the  reach  of  all,  was  available 
to  members  of  the  Order.  The  response  to  these  frequent  appeals 
was  most  gratifying,  thousands  of  sets  being  sent  to  all  parts  of 
the  United  States  and  Canada,  many  of  them  to  places  the  most 
remote  from  centers  of  culture.  The  work  of  the  Catholic  Truth 
Committee  in  conducting  the  campaign,  through  subordinate 
councils,  to  have  the  Encyclopedia  placed  in  public  libraries, 
together  with  the  raising  of  the  $500,000  endowment  fund  and 
national  lecture  movement,  all  stimulated  the  interest  of  the  mem- 
bers in  intellectual  progress  to  a  degree  which  surpassed  the 
highest  expectations  of  those  who  initiated  the  movement. 

There  can  be  no  question  but  that  these  sterling  achievements 
gave  the  Order  a  prestige  that  it  could  never  have  attained  by 
restricting  its  activities  to  ordinary  channels  of  development  as 
a  fraternal  society.  In  the  words  of  the  Baltimore  American, 
the  Knights'  accomplishments  were  ''  of  deep  interest,  not  only 
to  all  directly  concerned,  but  to  the  whole  country ;  "  further- 
more, they  provided  a  sure  background  for  the  confidence  the 
Knights  displayed  in  preparing  and  launching  a  most  ambitious 
program  for  their  share  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  immense  task 
of  reconstruction  and  education  which  confronted  the  nation  at 
the  close  of  the  Great  War. 


CHAPTER  XI 
ALLAYING  RELIGIOUS  PREJUDICE 

PREJUDICE  against  Catholics  declined  in  the  decades  fol- 
lowing the  so-called  "  Knownothing "  movement  until 
another  wave  arose  of  lesser  proportions  in  the  A.  P.  A. 
attempt  to  crush  American  freedom  of  religion.  It  is  a  singular 
fact  that  the  rise  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  accompanied  the 
growth  of  the  A.  P.  A.  movement,  and  while  the  natural  good 
sense  and  the  spirit  of  fair  play  of  those  of  our  compatriots 
whom  the  A.  P.  A.  aggression  was  supposed  to  influence,  gradu- 
ally suppressed  it,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  increased  in  pro- 
portion as  this  baleful  prejudice  became  less  and  less  effective. 
Yet  in  certain  sections  of  the  country  bigotry  continued  and  con- 
tinues to  be  felt.  The  insolent  activities  of  The  Menace  still 
corroborate  the  prejudice  of  the  ignorant  and  encourage  the 
malice  of  that  propaganda,  not,  it  is  insinuated,  unconnected 
with  the  desire  of  our  late  enemies  across  the  Atlantic  to  sow 
hatred  and  dissension  among  American  citizens. 

It  can  be  admitted,  after  a  general  review  of  religious  inter- 
relations, of  early  years  of  the  second  decade  of  the  twentieth 
century,  that  prejudice  had,  in  a  large  measure,  lost  much 
of  its  virulence,  although  there  are  records  enough  of  violent 
ebullitions  expressed  in  social  and  political  action.  But  fre- 
quently, and  in  sections  of  the  country  so  geographically  situated 
that  the  entire  nation  was  subject  to  these  outbreaks  of  preju- 
dice, surprising  attacks  would  be  made  upon  Catholics,  some- 
times by  individuals,  sometimes  by  self-styled  ''  patriotic  "  organi- 
zations. Usually  these  attacks  were  directed,  not  against 
Catholic  theology  or  theologians,  but  against  good  citizens  who 
happened  to  profess  Catholic  theology  and  to  respect  Catholic 
theologians.  It  even  developed,  in  the  course  of  investigation  of 
these  outbursts,  that  they  were  the  products  of  malicious  and 
ignorant  professional  prejudice-mongers.  The  skill  which  these 
foolish  people  showed  in  their  propaganda  seemed  to  be  directed 

[156] 


Allaying  Religious  Prejudice  157 

by  un-American  influences  accustomed  to  intrigue,  guided  by 
the  Machiavellian  motto,  "  Divide  and  Conquer." 

The  professionalism  introduced  into  the  propagation  of  reli- 
gious prejudice  is  pointedly  illustrated  by  the  story  told  of  the 
unemployed  person  who  replied  to  one  of  the  innumerable  adver- 
tisements for  "  agents  "  in  a  New  York  newspaper.  He  was 
given  his  choice  between  two  opportunities  described,  by  the  opti- 
mistic although  not  too  scrupulous  advertiser  as  ''  sure-fire " 
moneymakers;  he  could  either  wear  asbestos  sandals  and  tread 
live  coals  (within  a  small  wire  enclosure  charged  with  electricity 
to  keep  off  the  too  curious)  while  he  demonstrated  and  sold  liquid 
hair-straightener  in  regions  inhabited  principally  by  colored 
people,  or  he  could  accept  an  up-state  assignment  for  a  series  of 
lectures  in  the  role  of  an  ex-priest! 

For  years  the  Catholic  people  of  this  country  and  Canada 
suffered  misrepresentation  and  even  proscription  in  matters  where 
this  could  be  done  without  any  obvious  denial  of  their  civil  rights. 
It  was  a  common  thing  to  find  advertisements  for  employees  so 
worded  as  not  to  appear  to  insult  the  professors  of  any  religion, 
but  rather  amusingly  camouflaged  in  the  phrase,  "  No  Irish  need 
apply  " —  in  the  eves  of  the  A.  P.  A.  Irish  and  Catholic  were 
synonymous. 

There  would  be  outbursts,  usually  from  evangelical  pulpits, 
but  not  infrequently  from  pulpits  reputedly  fashionable,  against 
some  Catholic  practice  or  personage.  It  would  not  be  difficult 
to  select  a  representative  newspaper  in  nearly  every  part  of  the 
country  in  whose  columns  religious  controversy  has  been  hotly 
waged.  Now  it  is  a  tradition  in  the  journalistic  profession  that 
an  editor  can  commit  few  errors  more  grave  than  that  of  per- 
mitting his  paper  to  be  the  rostrum  for  religious  debate. 

This  tradition  provides  a  hint  of  the  general  condition  of  the 
public  mind  on  religious  questions  during  the  past  twenty  or 
thirty  years.  Rude  anti-Catholic  campaigning  has  shocked 
broad-minded  citizens  times  without  number  in  the  memory  of 
the  present  generation ;  but  the  violence  of  many  of  these  attacks 
worked  their  own  defeat.    What  has  always  presented  a  serious 


158      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

problem  is  the  latent,  what  might  be  called  the  polite,  prejudice 
against  things  Catholic  that  exists  in  the  minds  of  millions  of 
otherwise  broad  and  cultured  citizens.  This  can  only  be  excused 
by  the  fact  that  until  modern  research  made  history  a  science, 
English  history  was  very  largely  a  conspiracy  against  truth. 

This  class  of  our  fellow  Americans,  always  large,  would  be 
shocked,  almost  as  much  as  their  Catholic  fellows-citizens  by  those 
brutal  exhibitions  of  bigotry  which  take  the  form  of  attacks  on 
the  celibacy  of  the  clergy  or  the  chastity  of  the  sisterhoods. 
Their  disgust  is  attributable  to  the  fact  that  they  regard  such 
bigotry  not  so  much  as  un-Christian  as  un-American.  Yet 
these  same  people,  doubtless  in  all  good  faith,  are  biased  in  many 
respects  against  their  Catholic  fellow-citizens.  They  imagine 
that  the  Catholic  parochial  school  system  is  not  altogether  inno- 
cent of  sinister  motive  and  they  are  not  quite  free  from  the  sus- 
picion that  the  Catholic  hierarchy  is  seeking,  through  channels 
so  extremely  subtle  that  they  cannot  clearly  indicate,  let  alone 
define  them,  to  control  the  political  destines  of  the  nation. 

Perhaps  the  prejudice  of  persons  of  this  class  —  what  might 
be  termed  the  great,  non-Catholic  middle  class,  has  something  to 
do  with  the  assumption  that  the  poor  are  principally  Catholics. 
Of  course,  if  this  were  true  it  would  simply  be  an  additional  con- 
dition of  virtue  to  whatever  other  Catholics,  as  a  class,  possess. 
A  large  percentage  of  our  immigrants  have  been  Catholics  and 
are  Catholics  —  so  are  a  large  proportion  of  the  educated  and 
cultivated  classes  in  our  country. 

It  was  "  to  study  the  causes  of,  investigate  conditions  of  and 
suggest  remedies  for  the  religious  prejudice  that  has  been  mani- 
fest through  press  and  rostrum  in  a  malicious  and  scurrilous 
campaign  that  is  hostile  to  the  spirit  of  American  freedom  and 
liberty,  and  contrary  to  the  Divine  law  — '  Thou  Shalt  Love  Thy 
Neighbor  as  Thyself  '  "  that  the  Supreme  Council  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  at  St.  Paul  in  1914,  created  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  Commission  on  Religious  Prejudices.  This  commis- 
sion had,  as  its  chairman,  Mr.  Patrick  H.  Callahan,  of  Louis- 
ville.   The  first  Vice-Chairman  was  A.  G.  Bagley,  of  California, 


Allaying  Religious  Prejudice  159 

who  resigned  in  May,  1916,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Honorable 
Charles  J.  Dougherty,  of  Montreal,  Minister  of  Justice  of 
Canada.  Other  members  of  the  Commission,  who  served  from 
the  time  of  its  formation  until  its  disbandment  in  1917,  were 
the  Honorable  Joseph  C.  Pelletier,  of  Boston,  the  Honorable 
Joseph  Scott,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  the  Honorable  Thomas  A. 
Lawler,  of  Lansing,  Mich. 

The  Supreme  Council  appropriated  $50,000  to  defray  the 
expense  of  operation  of  this  commission,  the  money  being  equiva- 
lent to  a  research  endowment.  The  obvious  need  of  the  work 
inspired  an  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  those  participating  in  it 
which  supplied,  in  a  large  measure,  effectiveness  in  action  in  spite 
of  lack  of  previous  experience  in  such  an  undertaking.  For  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  the  United  States,  and,  for  that  matter, 
perhaps  for  the  first  time  anywhere,  a  body  of  laymen  had 
launched  an  organized  effort  to  investigate  and  allay  religious 
prejudice.  It  struck  a  new  note  in  Catholic  social  activity,  and 
but  for  the  vast  events  of  the  war  then  waging  it  would  have 
attracted  wide-spread  national  interest.  As  history  runs,  the 
work  of  the  commission  has  resulted  in  much  important  knowl- 
edge regarding  the  sources  and  action  of  prejudice. 

The  Commission  operated  from  Louisville  through  the  widely 
ramified  and  well  unified  system  of  Knights  of  Columbus  sub- 
ordinate councils.  Its  task  was  to  direct  what  might  be  termed 
defensive  and  offensive  warfare  against  the  stirrers-up  of  reli- 
gious prejudice.  With  carte  blanche  on  the  space  of  The  Colum- 
hiad,  the  official  journal  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Com- 
mission was  at  once  provided  with  an  indispensable  arm  — 
national  circulation  for  its  discoveries  of  this  un-American  dis- 
ease and  prescribing  remedies.  With  members  in  councils  every- 
where on  the  alert  for  evidences  of  prejudice  either  in  print  or 
speech,  the  Commission  was  the  recipient  of  a  continuous  stream 
of  intelligence.  If  an  anti-Catholic  address  was  made  in  Ohio, 
or  a  Pope-baiting  article  was  printed  in  a  California  newspaper, 
the  Commission  was  informed  and  promptly  measures,  gentle 
but  firm,  were  taken  to  secure  a  correction  of  whatever  false 


160      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

impression  had  been  given.  A  comprehensive  mail  service  was 
instituted  by  which  correspondents  throughout  the  country  \fere 
kept  informed  regarding  the  things  Catholic  that  were  subject  to 
attack;  anti-Catholic  journals  were  carefully  studied  and  anti- 
Catholic  agitators  carefully  followed,  and  means  of  peacefully 
but  persistently  correcting  their  perversities,  in  so  far  as  this 
could  be  done  through  the  press  and  public  speaking,  were  devised 
and  put 'into  effect. 

Chairman  Callahan  had  the  happy  thought  to  invite  representa- 
tive men  of  all  denominations  to  sit  with  the  Commission  at  its 
various  meetings  in  different  parts  of  the  country  and  advise 
the  members  not  only  negatively,  in  the  matter  of  allaying  preju- 
dice in  certain  sections,  but  positively,  suggesting  ways  and 
means  to  promote  harmony  between  Catholics  and  their  fellow- 
citizens,  principally  through  the  activities  of  subordinate  councils 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  This  plan  proved  successful,  bring- 
ing the  committee  the  advantage  of  the  viewpoint  of  many  of 
the  best  Protestant  minds. 

From  the  headquarters  of  the  Commission  a  constant  stream 
of  informative  and  corrective  literature  flowed  all  over  the  coun- 
try, and  while  it  is  true  that  part  of  this  effort  did  not  bring 
results  in  direct  publicity,  yet  none  of  it  was  wasted.  Talkers 
and  writers  and  editors  who  had,  either  in  malice  or  ignorance, 
spoken  ill  of  their  fellow-countrymen  of  the  Catholic  faith,  were 
certainly  inclined  to  have  a  more  healthy  respect  for  the  Church 
when  they  found  their  mail  bringing  a  logical  reminder  that  they 
had  strayed,  perversely  or  otherwise,  from  the  truth.  Hundreds 
of  editors  throughout  the  country  have  experienced  the  surprise 
of  opening  an  envelope  from  the  Knights  of  Columbus  to  find  a 
courteous  letter  informing  them  that  their  journal  had  been, 
consciously  or  otherwise,  guilty  of  inaccuracy  or  injustice.  Where 
the  editor  was  honest,  he  invariably  allotted  the  correction  as 
much  space  as  the  error.  Hundreds  of  speakers  who  uttered  pro- 
found and  often  mischievous  falsehoods  concerning  Catholics  oi 
the  Catholic  faith,  were  similarly  surprised  through  the  mails. 
It  is  not  on  record  that  thev  retracted  as  readilv  as  the  editors. 


A  fes, 


THE  JKNICVBIT^    OF  COLllMBiag  IM  P^^CE  AN:D  -WMk. 


KING   ALBERT  of  BclKiutn 


WORLD-FAMOUS   MEMBERS  OF  THE   KNIGHTS  OF   COLUMBUS 


Allayincj  Religious  Prejudicp:  161 

But  they,  at  least,  had  a  Hvely  sense  of  anticipation  that  if  they 
ventured  careless  and  damaging  remarks  in  future  talks,  they 
would  render  themselves  liable  to  further  correction,  with  the 
possibility  of  legal  entanglements. 

When  it  was  found  that,  in  cases  of  aggravated  prejudice,  cor- 
rection by  mail  was  no  corrective,  the  Commission  on  Religious 
Prejudices  resorted  to  personal  contact.  Visits  were  paid,  either 
by  commissioners  or  duly  appointed  agents  of  the  Commission, 
and  the  gentleman  in  error  was  politely  questioned  regarding 
his  alleged  facts.  Only  on  one  occasion,  an  interview  with  a 
Protestant  bishop  in  Buffalo,  did  this  method  result  in  an  ungen- 
tlemanly  rebuff.  Usually,  while  it  did  not  necessarily  bring  the 
rash  talker  to  see  the  error  of  his  ways,  it  at  least  convinced  him 
that  others  were  on  the  alert  to  unravel  his  embroideries  on  the 
truth. 

"  Wipe  it  out,  root  and  branch.  It  is  only  a  political  machine 
looking  for  power  and  aggrandizement.  It  is  not  religious.  It 
is  seeking  nothing  but  temporal  power." 

This,  the  statement  made  by  the  Protestant  bishop  referred 
to,  is  the  type  of  intemperate  harangue  which  the  Knight  of 
Columbus  Commission  on  Religious  Prejudices  sought  to  remove 
from  the  public  ear.  In  Buffalo  had  been  experienced  one  of 
the  most  disgraceful  ebullitions  of  religious  bigotry  on  record 
in  the  form  of  speeches  and  writings.  One  hundred  leading- 
Catholic  and  non-Catholic  residents  of  the  city  issued  an 
"Appeal  "  to  their  fellow-citizens  for  a  common-sense  considera- 
tion of  religious  interrelations,  and  this  appeal,  aided  by  direct 
work  of  the  Commission,  resulted  in  allaying  the  tide  of  prejudice 
that  had  swept  over  the  city. 

Buffalo  was  not  alone  in  experiencing  this  phenomenon. 
Hardly  a  large  city  or  country  town  in  the  Union  was  free  from 
symptoms  of  the  disease.  Especially  rampant  in  the  State  of 
Georgia,  where  an  embittered  and  notoriously  clever  anti-Catho- 
lic publicist  held  sway,  the  anti-Catholic  campaign  of  bigotry 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  one  of  the  most  promising  organizations 
yet  originated  in  Catholic  circles.    The  Catholic  Laymen's  Asso- 


162      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

ciation  of  Georgia,  composed  of  leading  Knights  of  Columbus, 
was  formed,  and  from  the  sparse  Catholic  population  of  that 
State  a  substantial  sum  was  raised  and  augmented  by  a  very- 
generous  contribution  from  the  Committee  on  Religious  Preju- 
dices, to  carry  on  a  counter-campaign  of  paid  advertising  in  the 
Georgia  press.  In  these  advertisements  explanations  were  made 
of  those  Catholic  doctrines  and  practices  that  are  most  attacked 
and  misinterpreted.  Under  the  guidance  of  the  Commission  on 
Religious  Prejudices  the  Laymen's  Association  achieved  definite 
educational  efifects,  and  the  war  aided  in  both  a  positive  and 
negative  manner.  The  patriotism  of  Georgia  Catholics,  who 
enlisted  for  the  war,  supported  the  selective  service  law  and  all 
other  war  measures  and  subscribed  generously  to  all  war  relief 
funds,  was  contrasted  with  the  almost  rebellious  attitude  of  the 
protagonist  of  bigotry  in  Georgia,  who  rashly  undertook  to 
defend  those  who  broke  the  draft  law,  thus  implicitly  encourag- 
ing them  to  do  so.  This  person's  publication,  a  periodical  of  some 
influence  in  rural  sections  of  the  State,  was  suppressed  by  the 
government,  adding  one  more  demonstration  of  the  fact  that 
those  who  impugn  Catholic  loyalty  are  usually  themselves 
disloyal. 

The  good  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  camps  where 
Georgia  soldiers  were  in  training  and  the  assistance  rendered  to 
Southerners  overseas  also  had  its  effect  in  dampening  the  fires  of 
prejudice  which  self-interested  persons  sought  to  inflame.  When 
parents  in  the  recesses  of  Georgia  received  letters  from  soldier 
and  sailor  sons  on  Knights  of  Columbus  stationery,  containing 
praise  for  the  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  they  became  far 
more  receptive  of  the  announcements  made  by  the  Layman's  As- 
sociation. So  that  the  combination  of  intelligent  advertising  and 
unselfish  devotion  won  a  fair  trial  for  the  Catholic  case  before  a 
jury  hardened  by  generations  of  tradition  against  any  charitable 
thought  concerning  persons  and  things  Catholic. 

Doubtless  the  successful  experiment  in  Georgia  might  have 
been  repeated  in  other  States,  where  there  was  almost  equal  need 
for  it.     But  the  advent  of  war  superseded  all  other  matters  in 


Allaying  Religious  Prejudice  163 

importance  and,  as  was  made  manifest,  vicious  anti-Catholic 
bigotry  had  unpatriotic  aspects  that  rendered  its  practice 
unpopular. 

Naturally,  a  commission  with  so  large  a  field  as  that  of  investi- 
gating the  causes  and  correcting  the  effects  of  religious  preju- 
dices, cannot  be  expected  to  have  banished  these  prejudices  within 
the  short  space  of  approximately  two  years.  Perhaps  it  will  take 
something  more  than  two  centuries  for  this  millennium  to  become 
a  fact.  But  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Commission  successfully 
accomplished  the  chief  purpose  of  its  establishment  —  by  scien- 
tific investigation  it  learned  that  religious  prejudices,  as  held  in 
America  and  Canada,  were  no  spontaneous  phenomena,  but  the 
legitimate  fruit  of  wilfully  planted  seeds. 

"  Religious  prejudices,"  stated  a  most  enlightening  report  of 
the  Commission  (that  published  in  October,  1916),  "  have  come 
down  to  us  through  many  generations,  from  centuries  of  enmity 
and  strife.  As  an  individual  sentiment  or  impulse,  more  or  less 
prejudice  is  bound  up  in  himian  nature,  although  dogmatic  or 
doctrinal  prejudices  have  diminished  with  each  generation,  and 
our  steady  development  of  civilization  brings  us  closer  to  the 
fundamental,  '  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,'  bearing  well  in 
mind  the  definition  of  Our  Lord  Himself  as  to  '  Who  is  my 
neighbor.'  " 

The  following  extract  is  from  the  Report  of  the  Commission, 
compiled  by  Mr.  Benedict  Elder,  assistant  to  the  chairman,  sum- 
marizing the  history  of  bigotry  waves  in  the  United  States: 

It  is  this  social  phase  of  prejudice  as  distinguished  from  the  individual 
feeling  that  has  chiefly  concerned  the  Commission,  for  when  organized  by 
Catholics  and  non-Catholics  and  carried  into  politics,  business  and  society, 
affecting  moral  and  civic  questions,  trade  and  industrial  conditions,  com- 
mercial, social  and  intellectual  activities ;  in  fine,  vi^ith  its  roots  and  branches 
burying  and  extending  themselves  into  all  the  affairs  of  life  and  proving 
the  greatest  detriment  to  the  progress  and  advancement  of  the  country, — 
it  is  a  social  force,  of  periodic  growth  and  development,  one  which  under 
the  laws  and  institutions  of  this  country  and  with  the  temper  and  spirit  of 
our  people  ought  not  to  exist  and  which  we  must  use  all  our  moral  and 
material  resources,  joining  with  citizens  of  all  religions  to  remove,  if  we 
are  to  pursue  the  great  ideals  of  liberty  of  belief  and  worship. 


164      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

We  are  now  in  the  midst  of  the  fifth  of  these  periodic  waves  arising  in 
the  United  States.  The  first  came  soon  after  the  formation  of  the  Republic 
and,  noth withstanding  our  constitutional  guaranty  of  religious  liberty,  cul- 
minated in  laws  discriminating  against  Catholics  being  passed  in  most 
of  the  original  States.  The  main  causes  of  this  movement  are  traceable 
to  the  French  Revolution,  which  resulted  in  so  many  Catholics  seeking 
refuge  in  America  that  alarm  for  the  security  of  our  institutions  was  mani- 
fested and,  strangely,  the  cherished  institution  of  religious  liberty  was  all 
but  abolished. 

The  second  wave  came  in  the  wake  of  the  anti-Masonic  movement 
growing  out  of  J:he  "  Morgan  affair."  It  resulted  in  the  destruction  of 
churches,  schools,  convents  and  residences  of  priests ;  in  some  cities  there 
were  frequent  murders  and  assassinations ;  rioters  actually  pitched  an 
engagement  in  a  few  places.  This  excitement  and  attendant  lawlessness 
continued,  intermittently  breaking  out  in  violence,  until  the  Mexican  war. 
Some  of  the  cau.ses  for  it  were  the  participation  of  Catholics  in  the  anti- 
Masonic  movement,  which  was  a  bitter  agitation ;  the  repeal,  during  that 
movement,  of  most  of  the  laws  discriminating  against  Catholics,  which 
was  loudly  resented;  the  division  of  sentiment  over  affairs  in  Mexico;  the 
opposition  of  the  clerg\-  to  Horace  Mann's  proposed  plan  of  education ; 
the  appointment  of  a  Catholic  as  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court ; 
retaliations  and  reprisals. 

The  Know-Nothing  movement  of  the  '50's  arose  from  a  scare  at  the 
Catholic  immigration  due  to  the  European  revolutions,  the  Irish  Famine 
and  the  discover}-  of  gold  in  California.  At  the  outset  it  was  perhaps  as 
much  pro-American  as  anti-Catholic,  but  the  baser  sentiment  soon  domi- 
nated both  its  spirit  and  its  temper.  The  issue  was  clearly  outlined, 
the  challenge  boldly  flung  out, — "  America  for  Americans,"  "  No  Irish 
Immigrants,"  "  No  Romanists  in  Office,"  "  Down  with  the  Catholics," 
"To  hell  with  the  Pope," — and  the  veterans  of  the  conflict  of  the  '30's, 
with  new  forces,  but  with  the  old  spirit  of  hate,  lined  up  for  another  fray. 
The  recollection  of  the  times  that  followed  is  fresh  in  the  minds  of  many 
yet  living;  the  records  of  Congress,  the  archives  of  legislatures,  ordinances 
orf  cities,  combine  to  show  the  havoc  played  with  religious  liberty;  the 
reports  of  political  campaigns  and  elections  is  a  chronicle  of  lawless  deeds, 
of  threats  and  intimidations  at  the  polls,  fraud-  and  corruption  in  the 
courts,  and  then  culminating  in  riots  and  an  occasional  "  Bloody  Monday." 
A  feature  of  this  movement  that  was  new  was  the  wide-spread  secret 
organization  after  which  it  is  called,  destined  to  become  a  permanent 
feature  of  such  movements,  and  to  taint  other  secret  societies  with  some- 
thing of  its  purpose. 

The  civil  war  put  an  end  to  Know-Nothingism,  but  it  was  not  long  after 
that  before  the  elements  with  which  it  had  tainted  other  secret  societies 


Allaying  Religious  Prejudice  165 

began  to  work.  The  old  Know-Nothings  were  not  able  to  carry  with  them 
the  societies  among  which  they  had  scattered,  but  by  being  in  them  they 
were  able  to  deceive  the  uninitiated  as  to  their  strength  and  respectability, 
and  three  successive  Presidents  were  induced  to  give  them  countenance  while 
the  two  great  political  parties  adopted  principles  at  their  demand.  Matters 
rested  here  a  bit.  W'ith  the  Pope  deprived  of  temporal  power  the  people 
were  not  so  easily  scared.  Then  came  the  Encyclical  condemning  Socialists, 
Communists  and  Nihilists.  At  the  time  Socialism  was  popularly  regarded 
here  as  merely  a  radical  party,  differing  but  little  from  Populism,  Suffragism, 
Georgeism  and  the  like,  and  all  of  these  were  led  to  take  offense  at  Rome. 
Next  occurred  the  "  McGlynn  affair,"  which  was  artfully  construed  into  a 
condemnation  of  all  movements  for  reform  and  a  Papal  infringement  on 
American  free  speech.  So  adroitly  were  these  groups  united  by  the 
leaders  of  the  agitation  that  when  the  famous  Blair  Amendment,  intended 
to  insult  Catholics  and  at  the  same  time  to  "  feel  out "  the  Congress  and 
the  country,  came  up  for  passage,  it  easily  won  a  majority  though  failing 
of  the  required  three-fifths.  Then  the  campaign  was  launched  and  the 
A.  P.  A.  movement  began  in  earnest.  The  old  methods, —  secret  organiza- 
tion, political  assassination,  boycott,  vilification,  slander,  scandalmonging, 
were  revived  and  feeling  waxed  strong  for  a  time,  spreading  over  the 
entire  country,  causing  deep  bitterness,  great  excitement  and  much  destruc- 
tion of  property,  though  not  so  much  bloodshed  as  in  former  times.  The 
panic  of  '93  crippled  the  cause,  but  it  limped  along  until  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  and  then  collapsed. 

The  present  movement  began  to  develop  in  1908.  That  year  was  the 
centenary  of  the  erection  of  the  diocese  of  Baltimore  into  a  Metropolitan 
See.  In  recognition  of  the  growth  of  Catholicity  in  this  country  during 
the  century.  North  America  was  advanced  by  the  Pope  from  the  status 
of  a  Mission  Country  to  that  of  a  Province,  and  transferred  from  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Propaganda  to  that  of  the  Holy  See. 

In  November,  1908,  the  first  American  Catholic  Missionary  Congress 
met  at  Chicago,  and  there  was  assembled  the  largest  body  of  prelates,  priests 
and  laymen  that  ever  was  brought  together  in  the  New  World.  Before 
this  meeting  had  adjourned,  the  New  York  Synod  of  a  Protestant  denomina- 
tion addressed  an  open  and  labored  letter  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  which  in  brief  asserted  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  a  "  menace  to 
American  institutions."  On  the  following  day,  the  Ministerial  Union  of 
another  denomination  in  Philadelphia  adopted  resolutions  embodying  the 
same  sentiment. 

In  the  next   few  years  practically  every  Assembl}',  Association.  Union, 

League  and  Conference  of   Protestant  Ministers,  throughout  the  Nation, 

passed  similar  resolutions.     Next,  the  Catholic  pAicharistic  Congress  of  the 

World  met  in  Montreal,  and  another  precedent  in  Catholic  assemblies  was 

12 


166      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

made.  Then  the  second  Missionary  Congress  met.  In  the  meantime 
Cardinal  Gibbons  celebrated  his  Jubilee ;  two  more  Cardinals  were  created 
for  America,  and  more  resolutions  were  passed  by  apprehensive  Protestants. 
In  all  this  the  shrewd  professional  agitator  saw  a  great  harvest  field.  A 
well  financed,  capably  edited  anti-Catholic  paper  was  begun,  by  an  old- 
timer  at  this  game.  A  cleverly  planned  secret  society  was  formed,  under 
paid  patronage.  When  the  pre-election  campaign  of  1912  opened,  the 
anti-Catholics  had  a  well  organized  movement  under  way;  two  score  of 
professional  propagandists  of  the  "  ex-priest "  and  "  ex-nun "  type  were 
sent  into  the  field ;  more  secret  societies  were  formed ;  more  papers  were 
started ;  headquarters  were  opened  in  larger  cities ;  tons  of  literature  were 
distributed;  statistics  were  gathered  of  Catholics  in  ofiice,  of  priests  and 
parishes  and  Catholic  institutions;  their  crimes,  their  sins,  their  blunders, 
for  a  quarter  century  past,  were  systematically  exposed  with  exaggeration 
and  embellishment ;  and  where  no  real  offense  could  be  found,  many  were 
invented  to  serve  the  occasion. 

This  excellent  summary  of  the  salient  outbursts  of  religious 
prejudice  in  this  country  was  the  basis  of  all  deductions  concern- 
ing the  exhibitions  of  prejudice  current  during  the  Commission's 
operations.  The  first  index  of  anti-Catholic  societies  was  formu- 
lated by  the  Commission.  The  titles  of  these  societies  vary  in 
districts  and  in  ostensible  motives;  but  their  first  principle  is  the 
same  —  that  Catholicity  is  a  menace  to  American  institutions. 
The  "APA,"  "  TA,"  "  Great  Secret,"  "  No  Name,"  "  Guardians 
of  Liberty,"  "  Knights  of  Luther,"  **  Covenanters,"  ''  Independ- 
ents," "  Units,"  "  Ps  "  —  were,  and  whatever  may  be  left  of 
them  are,  all  one  in  purpose  and  personnel.  They  represent  an 
extremely  ignorant  effort  to  drive  Catholics  from  positions  of 
influence  and  comfort.  Their  malice  obtains  periodical  sway  in 
certain  communities  not  renowned  for  literacy  and,  strangely 
enough,  when  the  records  are  impartially  examined,  rather  slack 
in  what  are  accepted  as  practical  manifestations  of  patriotism. 
Someone  with  a  gift  for  the  piquant  in  expression  has  character- 
ized the  members  of  these  organizations  as  "  social  cooties." 

Against  these  societies  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Commission 
on  Religious  Prejudices  did  not  seek,  nor  do  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  now  seek,  to  wage  war  —  although  it  has  been  most 
abhorrent   for   Catholics  to  have  their  women  slandered  and 


Allaying  Religious  Prejudice  167 

filthily  assailed  by  professional  bigots  who,  for  gain,  defame  nuns 
and  convents  and  the  Catholic  discipline  of  celibacy.  The  object 
of  the  Knights  is  simply  to  defend  the  faith  from  reckless  and 
often  ulteriorly-inspired  attack  —  to  put  into  effect,  so  far  as 
resolute  citizens  can,  the  Constitution's  guaranty  of  religious 
liberty. 

The  statutory  definition  of  the  law  of  libel  does  not  permit 
adequate  legal  resort  in  the  case  of  a  man  uttering  lies  and 
calumny  concerning  a  church  or  a  society,  unless  some  person  or 
persons  of  the  membership  be  singled  out.  Only  in  certain  cases 
where  the  liar  has  permitted  his  courage  to  exceed  his  discretion 
has  legal  action  been  possible.  Otherwise  Catholics  and  members 
of  all  other  denominations  must  depend  upon  an  appeal  to  com- 
mon sense  and  decency  for  a  restitution  of  the  good  name  of 
which  they  are  heedlessly  or  maliciously  robbed  by  bigots. 

With  this  limitation  of  the  law  as  a  handicap,  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  Religious  Prejudices  Commission  worked  steadfastly 
to  arouse  the  common  sense  of  residents  in  places  plagued  by  prej- 
udice. It  was  hard  work,  requiring  far  more  financial  support  for 
thorough  efifectiveness  than  was  at  the  Commission's  disposal. 
But  it  was  pioneer  work  of  a  most  fruitful  character.  The  Cath- 
olic press  supported  it  to  the  utmost.  And  when  there  was  suffi- 
cient news  in  the  Commission's  activities  to  warrant  "  covering  " 
by  the  secular  press,  these  activities  were  generously  reported,  as 
witness  the  remarkable  lectures  by  the  Honorable  Joseph  Scott 
in  Los  Angeles  and  New  York;  of  the  Honorable  W.  Bourke 
Cochran  in  Chicago  and  of  other  well-known  public  speakers 
under  the  auspices  of  the  commission. 

The  advent  of  the  war,  and  the  immense  and  important  part 
taken  in  war  relief  work  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  eliminated, 
at  least  for  the  time  being,  the  manifestations  of  religious  preju- 
dice as  a  live  national  issue  and  caused  the  Order  to  devote  its 
every  energy  and  resource  to  the  prosecution  of  the  gigantic  task 
it  had  undertaken.  But  when  the  Board  of  Directors  voted 
$15,000  for  the  winding  up  of  the  business  of  the  Commis- 
sion, at  the  Supreme  Council  meeting  in  August,  1917,  it  was  felt 


168      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

that  the  Commission's  work,  in  the  watching  of  the  evidences  of 
religious  prejudice  throughout  the  country,  and  in  decreasing  its 
violence  by  the  prompt  application  of  the  educational  method  in 
the  form  of  meetings,  lectures,  advertising,  articles,  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  pamphlets  and  other  publicity  media,  had  proved 
a  wise  and  patriotic  investment  of  the  appropriation. 


'vtTTT  KESlDEi^CS 


ST.  IGi^AT 

PORTLAND 


CHAPTER  XII 
RELIEF  WORK  IN  TIMES  OF  PEACE 

WITHOUT  any  carefully  prepared  plan  of  the  scope  of 
their  benevolence,  without  ironclad  rules  that  might 
limit  their  efforts  to  be  of  use  to  humanity  in  general, 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  seized  every  opportunity  that  came 
in  their  way  of  following  the  example  of  the  Good  Samaritan; 
in  fact,  this  became  a  cultivated  habit  with  them,  as  the  results 
of  their  efforts  to  help  their  brethren  in  the  Order  as  well  as 
their  fellow-citizens  outside  the  Order  proved.  As  an  example, 
when  the  terrible  disaster  in  San  Francisco  amazed  and  shocked 
the  world,  one  of  the  first  organizations  to  give  aid  to  those 
rendered  homeless  by  the  calamity  was  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
which  had  only  recently  been  extended  to  California.  Without 
waiting  to  make  a  formal  appeal  to  the  membership  —  although 
it  is  worthy  of  record  that  the  pages  of  the  official  journal,  ready 
for  the  press,  were  re-opened  to  insert  a  call  for  help  for  the 
afflicted  from  Supreme  Knight  Edward  L.  Hearn  —  the  Supreme 
Officers  telegraphed  the  State  Deputy  of  California  promising 
prompt  succor.  The  sympathy  of  the  nation  with  the  victims  of 
the  disaster  was  demonstrated  in  many  ways,  but  nowhere  more 
convincingly  than  within  the  ranks  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 
No  sooner  had  the  appeal  from  headquarters  been  published 
than  subscriptions  to  the  Order's  relief  fund  were  dispatched  to 
headquarters  at  New  Haven  by  subordinate  councils  in  every 
part  of  the  country.  Within  a  few  months  the  surprising  sum  of 
$100,000  had  been  collected,  part  of  this  being  a  contribution  from 
the  Order's  General  Fund.  State  Deputies  had  seconded  the 
Supreme  Knight's  appeal  by  urging  response  from  the  member- 
ship in  their  jurisdictions.  But  the  members  needed  little  urging. 
The  first  meagre  dispatches  from  the  unfortunate  city  bore  tid- 
ings of  the  ruin  of  many  members  of  the  Order,  whose  homes 

[169] 


170      Tiir.  Knic.hts  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

were  utterly  destroyed.  One  member  of  the  Order,  San  Fran- 
cisco's fire  chief,  had  lost  his  life  in  the  performance  of  his  duty, 
and  many  of  the  members  of  the  Order  were  injured,  unable  to 
help  their  distressed  families.  The  State  Deputy  headed  a  com- 
mittee of  local  Knip^hts  to  distribute  the  fund  collected  by  the 
Order  —  a  committee  which  was  one  of  the  factors  in  the  quick 
restoration  of  order. 

The  money  had  been  sent  as  a  free  gift  by  the  Order,  with"  the 
understanding-  that  it  was  to  be  used  to  mitigate,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, hardships  that  had  suddenly  fallen  upon  hundreds  of  families 
accustomed  to  living  in  comfort.  But  it  is  eloquent  of  the  spirit 
of  the  San  Francisco  Knights  that,  w^ithin  two  years,  they  had 
repaid  the  Supreme  Secretary  $65,000  of  the  money  sent  to  them, 
expressing  their  heartfelt  gratitude  for  the  assistance  in  their 
hour  of  need;  but  at  the  same  time  insisting  that  their  rapidly 
revived  prosperity  justified  the  return. 

In  the  early  Spring  of  1913,  when  floods  swept  through  large 
sections  of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  some  of  the  families  first  to  be  ren- 
dered homeless  were  those  of  members  of  the  order.  Knights  in 
the  different  districts  immediately  formed  relief  committees.  State 
Deputy  Patrick  J.  McCarthy  of  Ohio  and  Supreme  Director 
William  F.  Fox  in  Indiana,  each  directing  the  Order's  work  in  his 
own  state.  On  receipt  of  telegraphic  information  from  Cincin- 
nati Knights,  describing  the  terrible  conditions  in  that  State, 
Supreme  Knight  Flaherty  hurried  out  to  supervise  personally  and 
Supreme  Secretary  William  J.  McGinley  instructed  Special 
Supreme  Agents  William  J.  Moriarty  and  Frank  W.  Sherlock 
to  proceed  to  the  flooded  areas  and  take  charge  of  the  Order's 
general  relief  work.  The  Board  of  Directors  appropriated 
$10,000  for  the  sufferers,  which  sum  was  afterwards  increased 
to  $18,000.  Councils  of  the  Order  contributed  over  $20,000  to 
the  relief  fund  in  response  to  appeals  in  The  Columbiad.  Here, 
as  in  the  San  Francisco  disaster  and  in  other  calamities  where  the 
Order  stepped  in  as  a  relief  agency,  the  old  adage  was  illustrated 
that  he  gives  twice  who  gives  quickly,  for  the  effects  obtained 
were  proportionately  much  greater  than  the  actual  sum  donated 


WILLIAM    J.    McGIN'LEY.    of    New    York    City 

Supreme   Secretary,   and    Director  of 

Domestic   War   Work 


Relief  Work  in  Times  of  Peace  171 

might  indicate,  when  compared  to  the  estimated  cost  of  the  dam- 
age wrought. 

When  a  cyclone  struck  central  Illinois  in  1917,  wiping  out 
whole  villages  and  causing  havoc  in  many  towns,  members  of  the 
Order  were  again  among  those  affected.  Mattoon  suffered  heavy 
loss,  several  Knights  losing  their  homes  in  that  city.  The  Supreme 
Officers  acted  promptly,  forwarding  whatever  money  was  neces- 
sary to  tide  over  sufferers  until  they  could  begin  to  re-establish 
themselves.  In  the  storm  that  caused  death  and  destruction  in 
Corpus  Christi,  Texas,  in  the  early  autumn  of  1919,  the  Knights 
were  once  more  among  the  first  to  send  succor  in  the  form  of 
money  and  men.  In  all  these  emergencies,  the  gifts  of  money 
made  by  the  Supreme  Council  were  augmented  by  donations  of 
food  and  clothing  from  Knights  and  their  families  resident  near 
the  affected  districts. 

In  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  when  the  explosion  of  an  ammunition 
vessel  lying  in  the  harbor  produced  a  seismic  effect  in  the  pros- 
perous seaport,  whole  streets  collapsing,  and  scores  being  killed 
and  seriously  injured  by  falling  buildings  and  shattered  glass,  the 
Knights  sent  their  representative  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster  in 
the  person  of  Dr.  W.  J.  MacMillan,  State  Deputy  of  the  Maritime 
Provinces.  Halifax  Council  threw  open  its  building  as  a  shelter 
for  the  homeless.  One  of  the  striking  contrasts  to  the  ruin  about 
them  in  the  city  was  the  Christmas  celebration  in  the  council 
club  for  those  orphaned  in  the  disaster.  Canadian  Knights  had, 
of  course,  responded  instantly  to  the  aid  of  their  brothers  in  dis- 
tress. The  same  story  might  be  told  of  the  awful  fires  at  Salem 
and  Chelsea,  Massachusetts,  at  Duluth,  Minn.,  and  more  recently 
of  the  dreadful  calamity  at  Galveston. 

In  performing  these  good  works,  works  which  the  Knights  have 
rightly  interpreted  to  be  their  duty,  there  has  been  no  strict  fra- 
ternal limitation ;  all  who  were  in  need  were  helped.  The  generous 
hand  of  Columbianism  has  also  reached  out  beyond  the  Order's 
domain,  as  during  the  terrible  earthquake  at  Messina,  Italy. 
Again,  the  Supreme  Officers  appealed  to  the  members,  who 
promptly  responded,  thousands  of  dollars  being  given  in  the  name 


172      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  to  the  general  relief  fund  raised  in 
America  for  the  victims  of  the  Italian  catastrophe. 

One  of  the  most  striking  characteristics  of  the  Order,  when 
roused  by  some  great  crisis,  is  the  unanimity  of  decision  and  uni- 
formity of  action  manifested  l)y  the  hundreds  of  subordinate  coun- 
cils. The  Supreme  Officers  or  the  Board  of  Directors  have  but 
to  make  an  official  appeal  and  response  is  instantly  made  from 
even  the  most  remote  parts  of  the  organization.  This  is  so 
because  of  no  blind  obedience  to  those  in  authority,  but  because 
the  members  know  that  their  officers  make  no  impulsive  requests 
for  their  assistance;  that  they  are  never  appealed  to  unless  there 
is  pressing  need.  The  six  or  seven  officially  sanctioned  appeals  to 
the  membership  represent,  perhaps,  less  than  one  per  cent  of  the 
causes  which  have  been  urged  upon  the  Board  of  Directors  as 
meriting  the  aid  of  the  Order.  Many,  no  doubt  the  majority  of 
them,  have  been  just  and  praiseworthy;  but  those  responsible  for 
the  Order's  government  have  been  ever  scrupulous  to  avoid  even 
the  remotest  suggestion  of  an  abuse  of  the  confidence  reposed  in 
them  by  the  membership.  The  Board  has  always  jealously 
guarded  access  to  the  resources  of  the  many  thousands  of  men  it 
represents.  This  conservatism  has,  at  times,  seemed  extreme; 
but  as  a  policy  it  is  vindicated  by  the  spontaneous  response  given 
by  the  membership  when  the  Board  urges  their  support  for  any 
cause. 

But  State  and  subordinate  councils  of  their  own  accord  have 
eagerly  given  relief  when  needed  in  their  own  jurisdictions.  Per- 
haps the  surest  evidence  of  the  reputation  for  general  charity 
which  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  earned  for  themselves  wher- 
ever located,  is  the  fact  that  the  press  not  infrequently  prints 
notices,  warning  the  public  that  imposters,  representing  them- 
selves as  part  of  the  organization  of  the  Knights,  are  pursuing 
their  calling.  It  is  as  true  of  the  Supreme  Council  of  the  Order 
as  of  the  subordinate  councils,  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have 
made  publicity  concerning  their  many  meritorious  enterprises  the 
last  consideration.  There  is  not  a  council  of  the  organization, 
no  matter  how  limited  its  membership  —  and  membership  runs 


Relief  Work  in  Times  of  Peace  173 

from  one  hundred  to  seven  thousand  members  or  more,  Detroit 
Council  now  being  able  to  claim  the  largest  roster  in  the  Order  — 
that  has  not,  since  its  institution,  engaged  in  innumerable 
activities  of  civic  and  religious  vakie,  unchronicled  and  unsung. 

Bishop  Shahan,  in  1913,  drew  attention  to  another  vital  rule  of 
the  Order:  "Among  the  many  ways  in  which  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  are  proving  themselves  a  power  for  good,"  he  wrote, 
"  none  more  decisively  demonstrates  how  clearly  they  understand 
the  purpose  of  their  organization  than  the  series  of  spiritual 
retreats  they  provide  for  their  own  members,  and  the  courses 
of  lectures  they  have  promoted  in  this  country  and  Canada  for 
the  enlightenment  of  their  fellow-citizens  regarding  the  teachings 
and  practices  of  the  Church."  A  striking  feature  of  this  phase 
of  council  activity  was  the  arrangement  made  for  Bishop  John 
J.  Keane,  of  Cheyenne,  to  deliver  lectures  for  non-Catholics  in 
some  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  country  in  1910.  Denver,  Mil- 
waukee, Los  Angeles,  Buffalo,  Cedar  Rapids,  Houston,  Boston 
and  Philadelphia  were  scenes  of  some  of  the  most  unusual 
gatherings  ever  held  in  the  United  States,  when  thousands  of 
men  and  women  not  of  the  Catholic  faith  crowded  public  halls 
to  hear  a  Catholic  bishop  explain  the  doctrines  and  discipline  of 
the  Church,  and  answer  whatever  questions  on  religious  subjects 
might  be  asked.  A  most  favorable  impression  was  created  wher- 
ever Bishop  Keane  gave  these  lectures,  and  one  of  their  notice- 
able results  was  the  promotion  of  a  better  understanding  between 
Catholics  and  their  fellow-citizens. 

Numerous  councils  have  undertaken  similar  work.  Many 
hundreds  of  Knights  are  among  the  supporters  of  the  Catholic 
Church  Extension  Society,  whose  aims,  eloquently  described  by  its 
able  President,  the  Right  Reverend  Monsignor  Francis  C  Kelley, 
have  frequently  received  the  hearty  indorsement  of  the  Board 
of  directors.  In  Kentucky,  in  1913,  the  State  Council  provided 
funds,  raised  by  a  fifty  cent  per  capita  contribution  from  the 
membership,  to  support  two  missionaries  who  visited  the  out-of- 
the-way  places  of  the  State  and  delivered  lectures  to  hundreds  of 


174      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

mountaineers  and  others  who  had  no  opportunity  for  hearing  the 
truth  concerning  the  Church,  and  among  whom,  consequently, 
prejudice  was  rife.  Texas  State  Council  followed  this  example  in 
1916.  The  lectures-for-non-Catholics  movement  has  been  one  of 
the  best  supported  by  the  Order  in  Canada  and  the  United  States, 
conducted  with  a  tact  that  avoided  any  suggestion  of  proselytism, 
leaving  only  the  impression  that  the  Knights  were  sincerely 
attempting  a  neighborly  explanation,  through  well-informed 
sources,  of  matters  they  believed  their  fellow-citizens  were  enti- 
tled to  know.  Perhaps  the  most  familiar^  instance  of  this  activity 
is  the  annual  series  of  lectures  delivered  in  New  York  by  Fathers 
Conway  and  Gillis  under  the  auspices  of  the  New  York  Chapter 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  At  Baxter  Springs,  Kansas,  the 
local  Knights  even  erected  a  church  —  after  the  ground  had 
been  donated  by  a  Protestant  lady  —  a,  concrete  example  of 
applied  good  will.  Councils  naturally  aid  in  providing  for  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  their  members  through  retreats,  memorial 
Masses,  special  Communion  Sundays,  etc.  In  their  internal  life 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  always  sought  to  elevate  their 
subordinate  council  meetings,  which,  in  the  cool  months  of  the 
year,  are  held  at  least  fortnightly,  from  stereotyped  "  lodge  " 
affairs,  to  sessions  of  educational  value.  The  Board  of  Directors, 
through  the  Commission  on  Religious  Prejudices,  sought  earn- 
estly and  effectively  to  promote  meetings  that  would  always  result 
in  some  mental  and  social  benefit  for  the  members.  With  other 
attractions  for  members,  besides  the  regular  degree  and  elec- 
tion events,  a  council  can  thrive  better  as  a  factor  in  community 
life.  Through  the  sending  of  circulars  to  council  Lecturers  (the 
officers  whose  province  it  is  to  initiate  and  conduct  special  instruc- 
tional and  entertainment  programs  for  subordinate  councils),  the 
Supreme  office  brought  out  the  council's  resources,  so  well 
employed  when  the  Order  launched  its  reconstruction  work  at 
the  end  of  the  war.  In  every  council  there  are  members  of  all 
the  usual  trades  and  professions.  It  was  suggested  —  and  hun- 
dreds of  councils  followed  the  suggestion  —  that  a  series  of 
talks  be  arranged  concerning  the  modus  operandi  of  different 


Relief  Work  in  Times  of  Peace  175 

callings,  and  different  phases  of  those  callings.  Where  prac- 
ticable, outside  lecturers  were  secured.  Heads  of  fire  and  police 
departments  and  of  other  divisions  of  civic  operations  were 
invited  to  address  councils  concerning  their  work;  priests,  doc- 
tors, lawyers,  bankers,  accountants,  teachers  —  all  represented 
in  the  membership  of  a  council,  enlightened  their  brother-mem- 
bers concerning  their  avocations.  Often  lecturers  of  national 
reputation  would  be  secured,  State  Councils  co-operating.  The 
war,  bringing  so  large  a  train  of  exciting  incidents,  naturally 
interrupted  this  system  of  intra-conciliar  activity ;  but  with  peace 
there  came  a  gradual  resumption,  the  opportunity  being  grasped 
for  frequent  talks  by  members  who  had  seen  service  with  the 
Order  overseas.  Whenever  the  subject-matter  of  a  lecture  is 
deemed  of  public  interest  subordinate  councils  gladly  welcome 
the  public.  The  cumulative  effect  of  this  policy  has  been  to  pre- 
sent a  broad  curriculum,  which  has  played  no  small  part  in  the 
dissemination  of  valuable  knowledge  and  the  stimulation  of  a 
popular  desire  for  information  concerning  all  manner  of  prac- 
tical subjects. 

The  subordinate  councils  were,  in  an  unostentatious  way, 
especially  serviceable  to  the  Government  throughout  the  war. 
Not  one  council  in  the  United  States  but  had  at  least  one  member 
enrolled  as  a  four-minute  man  in  the  Liberty  Loan  campaigns, 
and  as  a  rule  each  council  had  a  representative  on  the  draft  exemp- 
tion board  of  its  district.  In  Canada  and  Newfoundland  the 
councils  performed  similar  services  for  their  Governments  from 
the  very  beginning  of  the  war. 

Subordinate  councils  have  always  recognized  the  value  of  well- 
arranged  receptions  and  demonstrations  in  honor  of  distinguished 
persons.  The  Massachusetts  Knights  can  be  said  to  have  led  the 
way  in  this  movement,  which  has  become  an  important  factor  in 
the  life  of  the  councils,  materially  aiding  them  to  promote  com- 
munity patriotism. 

The  State  Council  of  Massachusetts'  banquet  has  become  one 
of  the  important  social  events  of  the  year  in  that  State.  It  has 
given  the  public  an  opportunity  to  hear  men  of  world-wide  dis- 
tinction who  have  been  guests  of  honor.    His  Eminence  Cardinal 


176      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

O'Connell,  Major-General  Clarence  Edwards,  the  Governors  of 
Massachusetts  and  national  statesmen  have  attended  these  annual 
banquets.  One  of  the  most  interesting  functions  of  this  kind  to 
be  held  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  the  last  formal  recep- 
tion given  to  President  Taft,  three  days  before  his  term  expired 
in  1913,  when  he  was  the  guest  of  the  Washington  Knights. 
Mr.  Taft  was  touched  by  the  demonstration.  Upon  leaving  he 
made  one  of  his  most  characteristic  remarks :  "  Good-by,  good 
luck,"  he  said,  "  and  remember  that  when  I  am  one  of  the  crowd 
I  will  look  back  upon  the  honor  you  have  bestowed  upon  me  in 
inviting  me  here  tonight  and  will  always  cherish  its  memory." 

Events  of  this  kind  are  useful  in  stimulating  that  interest  in 
events  and  persons  which  makes  for  a  common  interest  in  the 
best  things  of  life.  Subordinate  councils  are  always  ready  to 
invite  as  guests  their  fellow-citizens  outside  the  Order  to  meet 
distinguished  guests,  and  they  co-operate  whenever  possible  in 
any  general  honor  paid  by  the  community  to  distinguished  men 
and  women. 

Within  the  circles  of  the  Order  the  question  has  often  occurred 
as  to  how  the  Knights  of  Columbus  could  furnish,  in  different 
localities,  the  educational  and  athletic  opportunities  offered  by 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  which,  though  generous  in  permitting  Catholics 
to  join  in  them,  holds  firmly  to  the  principles  of  Protestantism. 
Without  pausing  to  consider  in  detail  the  many  advantages  which 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  always  enjoyed,  we  can  look  back  through 
the  history  of  the  activities  of  the  subordinate  councils  and 
observe  how  recognition  of  this  ability  for  the  councils  to  fur- 
nish these  things  is  growing  general.  Recently,  the  Long  Island 
Chapter  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  held  a  successful  drive  for 
funds  in  order  to  institute  and  maintain  a  "  Big  Brothers'  move- 
ment," the  movement  being  designed  to  provide  a  helping  hand, 
not  only  to  those  unhappy  youths  whose  misdemeanors  bring 
them  into  contact  with  the  law,  but  to  aid  all  young  men  to  become 
efficient  citizens. 

Several  years  ago  the  Long  Island  Knights,  and  many  other 
chapters  and  councils  through  the  country,  lent  their  support  to 


Relief  Work  in  Times  of  Peace  177 

the  praiseworthy  probational  court  movement,  having  represen- 
tatives attend  the  sittings  of  these  courts  and  render  aid  to 
youthful  delinquents.  In  Massachusetts  a  Catholic  Charities 
Bureau  has  been  established  and  several  free  day  nurseries.  The 
Knights,  through  subordinate  councils  and  chapters  and  state 
bodies,  have  followed  all  other  avenues  of  philanthropy.  The 
Catholic  Home  Finding  Association  of  Illinois,  whose  executive 
head  is  State  Deputy  Edward  J.  Houlihan,  places  yearly  hun- 
dreds of  orphans  from  Catholic  institutions  in  Catholic  homes, 
subordinate  council  officers  and  members  co-operating.  Sup- 
porting the  activities  of  societies  like  that  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul, 
the  subordinate  councils  have  made  Christmas  an  especial  occa- 
sion for  philanthropy.  In  nearly  every  large  city  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Councils  provide 
Christmas  and  other  feast  day  entertainments  for  the  inmates 
of  charitable  institutions;  their  charity  is  further  extended  to 
the  homes  of  the  unfortunate  poor.  And  the  point  in  this  phil- 
anthropy most  deserving  of  mention  is  the  fact  that  it  is  marked 
by  no  forms  or  restrictions,  no  air  of  patronage,  no  "  efficiency  " 
system.  It  is  practical  charity,  because  it  is  spontaneous  and 
managed,  for  the  most  part,  by  men  who  live  close  enough  to 
poverty  to  realize  that  the  state  of  the  poor  is  usually  as  much 
of  an  accident  as  the  state  of  the  rich. 

In  other  ways  the  subordinate  councils  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  practice  the  Beatitudes.  They  have  not  only  organ- 
ized systems  of  visiting  the  sick,  but  they  provide  the  means  for 
their  healing.  One  of  the  standard  evidences  of  council  phil- 
anthropy is  the  establishment  of  beds  in  hospitals  for  the  care 
of  sick  members.  In  Boston  beds  are  endowed  in  the  two  great 
Catholic  hospitals.  So  in  New  York  City  and  other  large  cities 
of  the  country.  Many  councils,  by  virtue  of  their  autonomy  in 
such  matters,  maintain  sick  benefits,  which  are  applied  to  those 
who  voluntarily  subscribe  to  them  and  by  whom  only,  by  deci- 
sion of  the  Board  of  Directors,  they  can  be  maintained.  But  the 
council  or  chapter  or  State  Council  hospital  beds  are  the  most 
prevalent  media  for  this  form  of  philanthropy. 


178      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

In  the  active  council  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  thrives  to  an 
extent  that  has  often  been  exemplified  picturesquely.  In  1912 
J.  A.  Farrell,  of  Florence,  Colorado,  a  member  of  the  Order,  was 
employed  as  a  master  mechanic  with  the  La  Fe  Mining  Com- 
pany, near  Zacatecas,  when  a  very  undesirable  citizen  threatened 
the  storekeeper  on  the  company's  property.  The  storekeeper 
begged  Farrell  to  lend  him  a  revolver,  which  Farrell  did.  The 
loafer  returned  during  Farrell's  absence  and,  upon  provocation, 
was  killed  by  the  storekeeper  in  self-defense.  Farrell  was 
arrested  as  an  accessory,  a  victim  of  the  violent  anti-American 
prejudice  then  raging  in  certain  sections  of  Mexico.  He  was 
sentenced  to  ten  years'  penal  servitude,  and,  on  appealing  to  the 
American  Ambassador  at  Mexico  City  was  advised  that  no 
interference  could  be  made.  A  fellow  Knight  of  Columbus,  resi- 
dent in  Zacatecas,  investigated  the  case  and  sent  a  full  report 
to  Mr.  Edward  Keating,  managing  editor  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain News  of  Denver  and  a  member  of  the  Denver  Council. 
Mr.  Keating  communicated  the  story  to  Mr.  John  H.  Reddin,  the 
Supreme  Master  of  the  Fourth  Degree  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus, who  arranged  for  a  discussion  of  the  case  by  the  members 
of  Denver  Council.  A  committee  laid  the  case  before  Chief 
Justice  John  Campbell  of  the  Colorado  Supreme  Court,  who 
pronounced  the  sentence  on  Farrell  an  outrage.  He  and  the 
Denver  Knights  of  Columbus  urged  Senators  Simon  Guggen- 
heim, of  Colorado,  and  Thomas  H.  Carter,  of  Montana,  to  take 
up  the  matter  with  the  State  Department.  As  a  result  a  special 
investigator  was  sent  from  Washington  to  Zacatecas  and  Farrell 
was  released  —  the  entire  process  taking  less  than  three  weeks 
from  the  time  of  the  first  advice  received  by  Mr.  Keating.  The 
long  arm  of  brotherhood  prevented  a  flagrant  injustice  against 
the  rights  of  an  American  citizen. 

Again,  and  this  also  in  connection  with  Mexico.  Corpus 
Christi  Council  of  Texas,  after  investigation  by  a  committee 
appointed  in  1914,  reported  to  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors 
regarding  the  wrongs  done  to  the  unfortunate  Mexicans  who 
happened  to  be  in  territory  ravaged  by  the  various  groups  of 


Relief  Work  in  Times  of  Peace  179 

banditti,  one  of  whose  common  bonds  was  a  hatred  of  the  CathoHc 
Church.  The  Board  of  Directors,  upon  the  advice  and  request 
of  the  Apostohc  Delegate,  appointed  a  committee  to  call  upon 
the  President  and  place  before  him  the  facts  as  they  had  learned 
them.  This  act  contributed  to  the  forces  which  brought  about 
a  change  in  the  United  States'  attitude  of  passivity  towards 
Mexico. 

In  a  variety  of  ways  subordinate  councils  are  of  aid  to  their 
members  —  but  never  politically.    There  could  be  no  more  absurd 
charge  brought  by  those  who  rashly  make  prejudiced  assertions 
without  investigation,  than  that  of  attributing  concerted  political 
action  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus.    In  the  by-laws  of  the  organi- 
zation is  one  strictly  prohibiting  discussion  of  party  politics  at 
council  meetings  or  at  any  meetings  under  the  Order's  auspices. 
The  men  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  are  politically  divided. 
This  division  is  best  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  there  are  men 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  both  the  leading  political  parties  on 
the  Board  of  Directors  and  that  they  make  it  a  strict  rule,  during 
primary  and  election  campaigns,  to  appear  before  no  council  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  any  capacity.    The  charge  of  political 
conspiracy  on  the  part  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  strikingly 
exploded  in  1917  when  Major  John  Purroy  Mitchel,  of  New 
York,  apologized  to  State  Deputy  James  E.  Finegan  for  some 
unfounded  statements  he  had  made  regarding  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  in  Brooklyn.     And  the  essence  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  position  is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  Mayor  Mitchel 
was  at  that  time  and  up  to  his  death  a  member  of  the  Order. 

Whatever  useful  public  movement  may  be  launched  will  always 
find  support  in  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  no  matter  what  its 
auspices.  Quite  often  a  council  will  be  deiis  ex  machina  in  an 
apparently  desperate  situation.  At  the  Bon  Air  Sanatorium  at 
Braddock,  Pennsylvania,  the  local  council  erected  a  shack  for 
consumptives  in  October,  1911,  in  a  time  of  great  need,  when  no 
other  help  was  forthcoming.  When  fire  damaged  the  sanatorium 
six  years  later  the  Braddock  Council  went  promptly  to  the  rescue 
with  funds  to  aid  rehabilitation. 


180      The  Knights  of  Coll'mbis  in  Peace  and  War 

Subordinate  councils  have  always  been  solicitous  in  promoting 
athletics  for  their  younger  members.  In  nearly  all  parts  of  the 
country  Knights  of  Columbus  bowling  leagues,  baseball  leagues, 
tennis  leagues,  etc.,  are  flourishing.  Without  exaggerating  the 
value  of  athletics  the  Knights  have  never  failed  to  realize  the 
attraction  of  games  for  the  younger  men.  With  the  return  of 
these  young  men  from  the  wars  and  the  recent  acquisition  by 
the  Order,  through  its  war  activities,  of  a  high  prestige  for 
athletics,  an  extension  and  intensification  of  athletic  endeavor  is 
taking  place  —  destined  to  play  an  important  part  in  the  compre- 
hensive reconstruction  work  the  Knights  are  engaged  in. 

Glancing  over  the  files  of  the  official  journal,  one  is  bewildered 
by  the  immense  variety  of  useful  tasks  which  the  councils  of 
the  Order  undertake  by  virtue  of  the  generous  autonomy  allotted 
to  them  by  the  Constitution.  One  of  the  germs  of  the  great 
war  relief  work  can  unquestionably  be  found  in  the  entertain- 
ment provided  by  Manila  Council  in  1911,  to  the  visiting  United 
States  Battleship  Fleet;  also  the  organization,  in  February, 
1912,  of  a  night  school  by  Chartiers  Council  of  Crafton,  Pa., 
providing  a  rounded  curriculum  for  a  nominal  fee  of  $3  per  term 
of  ten  weeks,  is  one  of  the  numerous  activities  of  subordinate 
councils  which  inspired  the  confidence  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
in  assigning  so  all-important  a  part  to  the  councils  in  the  Order's 
reconstruction  programme. 

The  subordinate  council,  in  all  manner  of  religious  and  civic 
action,  has  proved  itself  the  best  exemplar  of  the  principles  of 
Columbianism.  Translating  patriotism  into  philanthropy,  the 
councils,  through  the  years,  have  created  that  groundwork  upon 
which  the  Order,  as  a  unit,  has  been  able  to  build  a  monument 
more  enduring  than  brass.  Now,  with  the  increased  prestige  that 
the  seizing  of  a  great  opportunity  has  brought  to  the  Order,  the 
subordinate  council  has  become  a  most  important  factor  in  the 
life  of  its  community.  Its  past  is  a  warrant  in  predicting  for  it 
a  future  increasingly  useful. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

COMMEMORATING  COLUMBUS 

IT  is  natural  enough  that  a  young  country  h'ke  our  own,  with 
its  traditions  in  the  making,  is  eager  to  stress  the  salient 
events  in  its  career  by  creating  public  holidays  as  memorials 
of  these  events.  Thus,  Independence  Day,  Memorial  Day,  Wash- 
ington's Birthday  and  Lincoln's  Birthday  were  instituted  to  com- 
memorate national  events  so  dear  to  the  American  people  and 
not  without  interest  to  other  nations. 

But  it  is  strange  that  before  the  Knights  of  Columbus  under- 
took the  task  of  securing  for  Columbus  recognition  similar  to 
that  given  national  heroes  no  effort  worth  recording  had 
been  made  to  attain  this  object.  The  nation  honored  the  anni- 
versary of  the  day  when  it  declared  its  independence,  the  first 
President  of  the  Republic,  President  Lincoln  and  the  million 
who  gave  their  lives  in  the  Civil  War,  honored  the  intelligent 
aspirations  of  American  labor  for  participation  in  industrial 
autonomy.  Yet,  despite  these  proper  and  elaborate  commemora- 
tions of  nationhood  and  the  men  who  preserved  and  maintained 
the  nation,  no  recognition  had  been  tendered  to  the  man  whose 
genius  and  bravery  had  first  made  the  nation  possible  under 
Divine  Providence.  Christopher  Columbus  had  been  strangely 
ignored  even  in  the  naming  of  our  country.  His  name  had  been 
preserved  in  the  title  of  America's  representative  figure,  in  the 
name  of  a  South  American  Republic  and  of  a  British  common- 
wealth. But  another  had  been  made  to  usurp  his  right  to  be  the 
nominal  patron  of  the  most  important  part  of  the  new  world  he 
discovered.  In  a  lesser  degree  this  was  true  of  Commodore 
Barry. 

There  is  evidence  that  Columbus'  Catholic  and  Spanish 
affiliations  disqualified  him,  in  the  eyes  of  some  citizens  of  the 
continent  he  discovered,  for  the  honors  of  national  recognition. 
But,  on  the  whole,  a  close  study  of  the  movement  inaugurated  by 
the  Knights  of  Columbus,  to  obtain  national  recognition  for  the 
13  [181] 


182      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Discoverer,  revealed  the  fact  that  neglect,  rather  than  prejudice, 
kept  the  great  Genoese  uncelebrated  by  the  national  holiday- 
makers. 

The  campaign  to  commemorate  October  12,  1492,  was  the  most 
important  phase  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  movement  to  make 
the  Order's  patron  the  national  hero  he  unquestionably  is.  To 
it  the  Knights  brought  all  their  devotion  to  the  memory  of  their 
patron,  and  through  it  they  were  able  to  realize,  for  the  first  time, 
their  strength  as  a  national  organization.  Not  their  numerical 
strength,  but  their  moral  strength,  for  the  first  State  in  which 
they  brought  about  recognition  of  Columbus  Day  was  not  an 
eastern  State,  where  their  numbers  made  them,  baldly  speaking, 
a  considerable  factor  in  the  electorate,  but  Colorado,  to  which 
State,  at  the  time  of  the  creation  of  Columbus  Day,  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  was  a  recent  acquisition. 

Governor  Henry  A.  Buchtel,  of  Colorado,  signed  the  bill 
(which  passed  both  branches  of  the  State  Legislature  of  Colorado 
without  opposition)  making  Columbus  Day  a  State  holiday  in 
1909.  Mr.  Angelo  Noce,  of  Denver,  although  not  a  member  of 
the  Order,  was  an  ardent  worker  for  the  movement,  and  to  him 
belongs  much  of  the  credit  for  stimulating  enthusiasm  that 
carried  the  cause  to  success.  Supreme  Director  John  H.  Reddin 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  other  Knights  who  had  aided 
the  State-wide  movement  for  recognition,  were  present  at  the 
time  of  the  signature,  an  historic  moment,  for  Colorado's  example 
was  destined  to  be  speedily  followed  by  many  other  States.  All 
over  the  country  the  members  of  the  Order  were  carrying  on  an 
oral  propaganda,  assisted  by  the  Catholic  press.  The  Cohimbiad 
was  the  most  powerful  agency  of  propaganda  the  Order  pos- 
seessed;  but  as  this  reached  few  who  were  not  either  Catholics 
or  Knights,  the  limitations  of  The  Columbiad  propaganda  were 
obvious.  But  the  merits  of  the  Order's  argument  were  bound  to 
win  before  an  unprejudiced  audience,  and  such  the  Knights 
found  the  majority  of  the  legislatures  to  be. 

At  several  national  conventions  the  nation-wide  canvass  for 
Columbus  Dav  had  been  discussed,  and  resolutions  favorable  to 


Commemorating  Columbus  18v3 

it  adopted.  The  Columhiad,  by  frequent  urgings,  constantly 
renewed  interest  in  the  movement.  The  annual  celebration  of 
Columbus  Day  by  every  council  in  the  country  (and  also  in 
Canada  and  elsewhere)  brought  the  topic  to  the  fore.  Organized 
action  in  the  different  States,  followed  by  skilfully  approaching 
the  legislators  —  always  with  confidence  in  the  popularity  and 
propriety  of  the  measure,  brought  warranted  success. 

When  Colorado  triumphed  in  the  friendly  rivalry  to  achieve 
first  honors  in  the  race  for  recognition,  leading  Knights  in  other 
States  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost  to  bring  their  common- 
wealths into  line  with  the  far-western  pioneer.  Illinois,  Virginia, 
Connecticut,  California,  Massachusetts,  Missouri,  Michigan,  New 
Jersey,  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  added  October  12  to  their 
list  of  holidays  before  the  end  of  1909. 

This  widespread  recognition  of  the  day  proved  what  had  always 
been  conjectured,  that  general  sentiment  would  support  the  move- 
ment once  it  became  sufficiently  advertised.  In  practically  every 
State  members  of  the  Order  were  also  members  of  one  branch  or 
other  of  the  State  Legislature.  To  these  men  the  case  was  first 
presented,  and  through  them  to  their  colleagues.  At  first  the 
notion  had  been  entertained  of  proceeding  to  Washington  and 
obtaining  Federal  legislation;  but  there  were  several  objections 
to  this,  the  most  technical  and  forceful  of  which  was  that  a  holi- 
day was  paramountly  a  matter  of  State  right.  In  any  event,  it 
was  the  simpler  course,  for  a  campaign  for  support  in  Congress 
would  have  involved  unnecessary  labor.  Further,  commitment 
of  the  campaign  to  the  States  was  an  excellent  means  of  stimu- 
lating progressive  pride  in  Columbianism. 

With  the  East  and  the  Middle  West  substantially  represented 
in  the  roster  of  the  States  officially  recognizing  Columbus,  with 
the  movement  established  in  the  West  and  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
the  men  of  the  South  were  heard  from.  Here  the  Knights  met 
organized  opposition  to  their  innocent  and  purely  patriotic  enter- 
prise. In  Kentucky,  the  Ministerial  Association  of  Louisville 
attacked  the  project  to  legalize  Columbus  Day,  which,  in  a  mani- 
festo to  the  Kentucky  Legislature,  they  described  as  "to  all 


184      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

effects  and  purposes  a  Roman  Catholic  holiday."  "  There  are 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  citizens  in  Kentucky,"  the  manifesto 
read,  "  who  believe  that  the  blessings  which  we  enjoy  in  the 
commonwealth,  are  more  directly  due  to  the  labors  of  men  like 
Martin  Luther  and  John  Calvin  than  to  Christopher  Columbus." 
This  rather  old-fashioned  display  of  prejudice,  which,  in  the 
light  of  Kentucky's  generous  support  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus war  relief  work,  is  readily  forgiven,  did  not  deter  the  Ken- 
tucky Legislature  from  passing  the  Columbus  Day  bill  by  a  hand- 
some majority.  Doubtless  it  is  organized  prejudice  of  this  sort 
which  prevents  Discovery  Day  from  being  recognized  in  other 
southern  States.  Incidentally  the  Louisville  ministers  advanced 
the  only  logical  argument  against  legalization  of  the  day.  Logi- 
cal, but  quite  weak  and  ineffectual,  not  to  say  un-American,  for 
the  holiday  is  as  much  a  recognition  of  the  act  of  discovery  as 
of  the  intention  of  the  Discoverer,  otherwise  Columbus'  Birthday 
would  be  the  more  appropriate  occasion  for  honoring  the  man. 

Ohio  followed  Kentucky  in  1910.  Mr.  Joseph  Carabelli  intro- 
duced the  bill  that  legalized  the  holiday  in  that  State,  and  the 
efforts  of  State  Deputy  P.  C.  Mueller  and  his  associates  in  Mary- 
land, secured  the  passage  of  the  Hammond  bill  legalizing  the 
holiday  in  that  State.  Governor  Austin  L.  Crothers  signed  the 
bill,  wishing,  as  he  did  so,  nation-wide  success  to  the  Order  in 
its  worthy  campaign. 

After  Maryland  came  Rhode  Island,  Governor  Aram  J. 
Pothier  signing  the  Columbus  Day  bill  in  1910.  Early  in  1911 
both  branches  of  the  Delaware  Legislature  passed  unanimously 
a  bill  making  Columbus  Day  a  legal  holiday  in  that  State,  Gov- 
ernor Pennewill  signing  the  bill  on  March  7.  In  Washington 
some  opposition  was  met,  but  the  Knights  of  Columbus  committee 
in  charge  of  the  campaign  secured  a  vote  of  31  to  10  in  the  Senate 
and  of  61  to  15  in  the  House. 

State's  Attorney-General  Arthur  F.  Mullen  fathered  the  bill 
which  created  Columbus  Day  a  holiday  in  Nebraska  in  1911. 
New  Hampshire  quickly  fell  in  line.  Governor  Oswald  \A'est,  of 
Oregon,  made  Columbus  Day  a  holiday  in  that  State  in  February, 


Commemorating  Columbus  185 

1911,  after  Mr.  John  W.  Kelly,  a  dramatic  editor  of  Portland, 
had  campaigned  for  the  day  during  a  season  assignment  to  the 
legislature,  supported  loyally  by  Knights  throughout  the  State 
under  the  leadership  of  State  Deputy  Roger '  Sinnott.  Idaho 
adopted  the  holiday  in  February,  1911;  Indiana  and  Alabama  in 
March  of  the  same  year.  In  the  former  State,  Representative 
John  J.  Keegan  fathered  the  bill ;  in  the  latter  Mr.  George  J.  Sul- 
livan, Governor  Emmet  O'Neal  signing  it. 

State  Deputy  Charles  F.  McCarthy,  of  Kansas,  led  the  drive 
for  recognition  in  that  State,  Mr.  Miles  Mulroy,  of  Hays  City, 
introducing  the  bill,  which  was  signed  on  March  4,  1911.  In  the 
same  month  West  Virginia  made  the  day  a  holiday,  after  the 
judiciary  committee  of  the  State  House  had  decided  to  report  the 
bill  unfavorably  on  account  of  the  opposition  of  one  of  its  mem- 
bers. A  delegation  headed  by  Mr.  T.  S.  Scanlon  appeared  and 
arguments  prepared  by  State  Deputy  C.  E.  Martin  and  Mr.  A.  J. 
Horan  were  read,  following  which  the  committee  revised  its 
action. 

Another  victory  south  of  the  Mason-Dixon  line  was  achieved 
when  Governor  Colquitt,  of  Texas,  signed,  in  April,  1911,  the 
bill  making  Columbus  Day  a  holiday  in  Texas,  the  gold  pen  with 
which  he  affixed  his  signature  being  provided  by  General  W.  R. 
Hamby,  a  member  of  Austin  Council.  State  Deputy  E.  J.  Ker- 
win,  of  Arkansas,  led  the  movement  which  resulted  in  that  State 
adopting  Columbus  Day  in  1911. 

With  a  majority  of  the  States  of  the  Union  in  line,  a  lull  fol- 
lowed ;  but  it  was  evidently  only  apparent,  for  Vermont,  Montana, 
Wisconsin,  Iowa  and  Louisiana  were  quickly  recruited  to  the 
cause.  State  Deputy  James  J.  McGraw  and  his  associates  worked 
successfully  for  the  adoption  of  the  holiday  in  Oklahoma,  and 
Arizona,  South  Dakota  and  Nevada  brought  up  to  thirty-six  the 
number  of  States  legalizing  October  12  as  a  holiday.  The  last 
State  to  join  the  ranks  of  those  celebrating  Columbus  Day  was 
North  Dakota,  in  1919. 

Here  the  movement  has  rested,  although  it  is  probable  that, 
with  two-thirds  of  the  States  already  in  line  (sufficient  to  ratify 


186      I'liE  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

a  constitutional  amendment  if  the  adoption  of  the  holiday  had 
been  a  matter  of  fundemental  national  politics),  others  will  be 
converted  to  the  movement  —  one  aimed  at  securing  at  least 
courtesy  if  not  veneration  for  the  memory  of  Columbus. 

If  the  entire  field  of  opportunities  for  bringing  Columbianism 
to  public  notice  had  been  coldly  and  painstakingly  studied  in  those 
days  of  the  Order's  first  maturity,  no  better  method  could  have 
been  devised.  While  the  religious  significance  of  the  day  is 
unquestionably  lost  to  a  vast  majority  of  those  who  enjoy  the 
recreation  it  affords;  while  it  has,  with  all  other  holidays  on  the 
Christian  calendar,  been  ruthlessly  commercialized  by  those  who 
cater  to  the  pleasure  of  the  masses ;  yet  it  is  an  occasion  when  the 
inhabitants  of  thirty-seven  of  the  most  prosperous  and  progres- 
sive States  of  the  Union  must,  by  sheer  force  of  circumstances 
and  with  implied  if  not  expressed  gratitude,  honor  the  man  who 
discovered  our  country. 

Year  after  year  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have,  through  annual 
banquets  and  other  means  of  popular  demonstration,  honored  the 
Order's  patron;  they  have,  by  throwing  open  these  meetings  to 
representative  public  men,  whom  they  have  invited  to  address 
them,  done  much  to  plant  the  seeds  of  patriotism,  which  must  be 
kept  alive  by  a  knowledge  of  the  motives  and  lives  of  the  men 
who  labored  for  it.  Many  of  the  most  eminent  men  in  the  nation 
—  Presidents  and  Vice-Presidents,  the  Chief  Justice  of  the 
United  States,  Senators,  Governors,  Congressmen  and  other 
legislators,  leading  non-Catholic  clergymen,  have  joined  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  throughout  the  land  in  the  celebration  of 
the  discovery,  in  tribute  to  the  Discoverer.  Their  voices,  sound- 
ing Columbus'  praises  in  unison  with  the  voices  of  cardinals, 
archbishops,  bishops  and  priests,  have  helped  to  give  a  certain 
religious  value  to  the  memory  of  the  Catholic  explorer.  Under 
the  auspices  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  the  day  was  celebrated 
in  France  and  Germany  by  the  men  of  the  A.  E.  F.,  the  celebra- 
tion held  by  the  Eleventh  Engineers  on  October  12,  1917,  being 
the  first  public  Columbian  ceremony  to  be  held  for  our  men 
overseas. 


Commemorating  Columbus  187 

And  these  addresses,  delivered  on  the  same  subject  through  all 
the  years  duringwhich  this  custom  has  prevailed, have  not  been  the 
usual  banquet  rhetoric ;  while  each  man  had  but  the  same  virtues 
of  Christian  patience  and  crusader's  intrepidity  to  praise,  yet 
there  has  always  been  an  individual  touch  to  the  repetition,  a 
fresh  viewpoint  that  has  given  a  far-reaching  value  to  their 
cumulative  effect.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  William  Howard  Taft, 
Chief  Justice  White  —  these  are  some  of  the  names,  written  large 
in  modern  American  history,  that  are  also  attached  to  the  record 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  campaign  for  a  greater  and  a  better 
understanding  of  the  importance  of  Christopher  Columbus. 

Woodrow  Wilson,  when  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  less  than  a 
month  before  his  election  to  the  Presidency,  on  Columbus  Day, 
1912,  delivered  an  address  at  the  New  York  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus celebration,  which  carried  a  prophetic  note,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  through  the  will  of  Divine  Providence  he  became  for 
a  while  the  arbitrator  among  all  the  nations  of  the  world. 

"  This  land,"  he  said,  in  that  address,  "  was  waiting  to  be 
occupied  by  new  conceptions,  not  by  the  things  that  had  wearied 
and  in  some  cases  debauched  and  debased  the  Old  World,  and 
there  grew  up  in  this  western  land  a  new  age  for  the  life  of  men. 

"The  year  1492  is  therefore  not  so  remote  from  the  year  1912,  because 
unless  we  can  continue  to  consecrate  this  great  continent  to  a  higher  level 
of  spiritual  life  we  may  some  day  regret  that  it  was  ever  discovered.  We 
may  some  day  feel  that  it  was  a  disgrace  to  have  had  a  new  field  in  which 
to  do  new  things,  and  yet  to  have  failed  in  doing  them  in  the  very  hour 
of  trial  and  crisis.  We  have  talked  too  much  of  America  as  if  it  were  an 
Anglo-Saxon  possession,  which  is  contrary  to  every  indication  of  its  hirth 
and  every  act  of  its  history. 

"  The  serious  thing  to  America  is  that  we  are  now  about  to  try  this  question 
out:  Can  we  realize  our  ideals?  Now  that  our  youth  is  passed,  now  that 
it  is  no  longer  easy  to  live  in  America,  now  that  we  know  that  her  resources 
are  no  longer  inexhaustible,  now  that  we  know  that  we  are  in  hot  contact, 
class  with  class  in  hot  competition,  selfishness  with  idealism,  can  we  again 
lift  it  into  the  air  into  which  it  was  lifted  in  the  beginning?  For  no  man 
can  think  of  Columbus  without  thinking,  standing  where  we  do,  what  he 
signifies. 


188      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

With  doctrine  of  this  description  delivered  to  thousands  of 
substantial  men  the  country  over,  with  speakers  eminent  in  all 
walks  of  life  giving  their  various  interpretations  of  the  require- 
ments of  practical  patriotism,  Columbus  Day  was  and  is  much 
more  than  an  occasion  for  feasting.  The  Knights  of  Columbus 
have  made  the  day  and  are  maintaining  it  as  an  annual  retreat 
to  the  pure  principles  of  Americanism. 

Often  the  Knights  stage  impressive  pageants  in  honor  of  the 
day.  In  Chicago  this  has  been  the  practice  for  many  years,  the 
stationing  of  the  replicas  of  Columbus'  vessels  on  Lake  Michigan 
there  lending  an  excellent  background  for  many  splendid  cere- 
monies. Elsewhere  parades  in  which  are  reproduced  scenes  of 
the  discovery,  mark  the  day.  But  everywhere  recognition  of  the 
material  significance  of  the  discovery  is  conjoined  with  recogni- 
tion of  its  spiritual  effect  upon  the  whole  world. 

Their  enthusiasm  to  bring  befitting  glory  to  the  name  of  the 
Discoverer  led  the  Knights  to  throw  themselves,  to  the  last  man, 
into  the  movement  for  the  erection  of  a  national  statue  to  Colum- 
bus in  the  capital.  For  many  years  before  the  unveiling  of  the 
Columbus  monument  in  Washington,  D.  C,  there  had  been,  in 
that  city,  impressive  statues  of  men  who  were  far  more  remotely 
connected  with  our  history,  of  some  who  had  barely  any  connec- 
tion therewith  —  Martin  Luther,  for  example.  Mexico  had  seen 
fit  to  honor  the  Discoverer,  the  capital  of  that  country  having  a 
worthy  statue  erected  in  his  memory.  In  Cleveland,  Ohio,  there 
was  also  a  Columbus  memorial,  and  one  in  Boston.  The  first 
monument  to  Columbus  in  this  country  was  erected  in  Baltimore 
about  1810  by  General  Charles  Francis  Adrien  le  Paulmier 
d' Armour,  an  officer  of  Lafayette,  who  had  settled  there  and 
become  a  man  of  large  means.  Other  monuments  existed  but 
unquestionably,  the  most  fitting  place  for  a  national  monument 
was  Washington;  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  by  constantly 
agitating  the  movement  for  the  memorial,  aided  largely  in  obtain- 
ing sanction  for  it. 

Hon.  James  T.  McCleary,  of  Minnesota,  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Library  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  introduced 


-^  f^. 


THE  KNIOHT^    OF  COOLIMIMIS  IM  HE4CE  AKTjD)  "V^^^Oa. 


Commemorating  Columbus  189 

bill  No.  267,  in  1907,  which  called  for  the  erection  of  a  monument 
to  Christopher  Columbus.  It  was  the  first  Act  of  Congress  to 
mention  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Supreme  Knight  Edward 
L.  Hearn  being  named,  with  the  Chairman  of  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee on  Library  of  the  Fifty-ninth  Congress,  the  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Library  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  the 
Secretary  of  State  and  the  Secretary  of  War,  as  a  commission 
"  to  act  with  full  authority  to  select  a  site  and  a  suitable  design, 
and  to  contract  for  and  superintend  the  construction  of  said 
memorial."  The  bill  carried  a  provision  for  $100,000  "  or  as 
much  as  is  necessary  "  for  the  prosecution  of  the  project.  Presi- 
dent Taft  signed  the  bill  on  March  4,  1910,  the  pens  used  by 
the  Clerk  of  the  House,  the  Vice-President  and  the  President 
being  afterwards  presented  to   Potomac  Council. 

The  Secretary  of  War  named  Colonel  Spencer  Crosby  to  co-op- 
erate with  Supreme  Knight  Hearn  in  arranging  for  the  memo- 
rial, and  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
voted  $10,000  to  defray  expenses  in  this  matter,  thus  demon- 
strating the  practical  gratitude  of  the  Order  for  the  nation's 
recognition,  through  Congress,  of  its  efforts  in  behalf  of  the 
Discoverer.  The  columns  of  The  Columbiad  were  for  years 
devoted  to  the  movement,  being  the  authentic  source  of  news 
concerning  the  progress  of  the  memorial. 

Through  this  insistent  publicity,  augmented  by  propagation 
of  the  movement  at  subordinate,  State  and  Supreme  Council 
meetings,  a  lively  interest  was  aroused.  When  the  date  of  the 
unveiling  of  the  memorial  was  at  length  announced,  June  8,  1912, 
five  years  after  the  monument  was  authorized.  State  Deputies 
and  their  aids  commenced  to  vie  with  one  another  in  canvassing 
their  jurisdictions  to  secure  promises  from  members  to  attend 
the  ceremony. 

Twenty  thousand  Knights  of  Columbus,  with  their  wives  and 
friends,  flocked  to  Washington  from  every  State  in  the  Union  to 
make  the  greatest  gathering  of  the  Order  ever  witnessed  since 
its  foundation.  National  Commissioner  Edward  L.  Hearn  and 
his  associates  on  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  had  perfected 


190      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  most  impressive  programme  ever  carried  out  in  Washington 
since  the  famous  parade  of  the  veterans  of  the  Northern  army 
on  the  conclusion  of  peace  with  the  South.  President  Taft,  Car- 
dinal Gibbons,  Secretary  of  State  Philander  C.  Knox,  Chief 
Justice  White  and  other  dignitaries  of  Church  and  State  reviewed 
the  parade  of  the  Knights  led  by  Supreme  Knight  Flaherty,  and 
were  present  at  the  unveiling  of  the  statue  and  the  brilliant 
banquet  that  crowned  the  event. 

The  parade  attracted  the  largest  crowd  ever  gathered  together 
in  Washington.  At  the  scene  of  the  monument  in  the  spacious 
plaza  before  the  Union  station,  within  view  of  the  dome  of  the 
Capitol,  the  unveiling  took  place,  the  ceremony  being  performed 
by  the  Italian  Ambassador,  His  Excellency  the  Marchese  Cusani 
Confalonieri.  Monsignor  Shahan  of  the  Catholic  University 
recited  the  opening  prayer,  and  Secretary  Knox,  presiding  officer, 
presented  Hon.  Victor  J.  Dowling,  of  New  York,  and  Represen- 
tative James  T.  McCleary,  of  Minnesota,  who  addressed  the 
gathering  on  the  significance  of  the  event. 

Every  vantage  point  was  occupied,  and  the  patriotic  enthu- 
siasm of  the  spectators  arose  to  a  pitch  unexcelled  by  any  demon- 
stration previously  or  since  held  in  Washington.  The  same 
enthusiasm  marked  the  banquet  of  the  evening  of  the  ceremo- 
nies. Supreme  Advocate  Joseph  C.  Pelletier,  toastmaster,  sum- 
moned some  of  the  most  noted  speakers  in  the  country  to  address 
the  vast  assemblage  of  Knights:  Speaker  of  the  House  Champ 
Clark,  John  Barrett,  Director  General  of  the  Pan-American 
Union,  Representative  Oscar  W.  Underwood,  Representative 
James  P.  Mann,  Hon.  Joseph  Scott,  of  Los  Angeles,  Denis  A. 
McCarthy,  who  recited  an  original  poem  in  honor  of  the  event, 
George  F.  Monaghan,  of  Detroit,  and  Hon.  Joseph  Cannon  who 
tittered  a  remarkable  personal  tribute  to  what  he  termed  "  the 
grand  old  Mother  Church  of  Christianity." 

The  brilliant  ceremonies  of  the  unveiling  were  continued  on 
the  following  day  w^hen  His  Eminence  Cardinal  Gibbons  cele- 
brated a  Field  Mass  on  the  grounds  of  the  Washington  Monu- 
ment, where  hundreds  of  Fourth  Degree  Knights  in  full  uniform 


Commemorating  Columbus  191 

were  the  Guard  of  Honor.  And  on  June  10,  the  Knights  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  brought  the  memorable  event  to  a  close  by 
holding  a  reception  for  the  Most  Reverend  Archbishop  John 
Bonzano,  who  had  not  long  before  succeeded  His  Eminence 
Cardinal  Diomede  Falconio,  a  staunch  friend  of  the  Order,  as 
Apostolic  Delegate. 

The  Washington  Star  characterized  the  event  as  marking  anew 
the  important  position  the  Knights  of  Columbus  held  as  an  Order 
in  the  social  fabric  of  the  United  States.  Carried  as  a  principal 
item  of  news  in  the  leading  journals  of  the  country,  there  is  no 
question  that  this  event  takes  premier  rank  over  every  public 
demonstration  ever  made  by  the  Knights.  Certainly  nothing 
before  or  after  has  brought  to  the  name  of  the  country's  Dis- 
coverer the  honor  that  had  always  been  his  due.  President  Taft 
interpreted  the  sentiments  of  every  true-hearted  American,  and 
placed  an  authoritative  stamp  upon  the  entire  Columbian  move- 
ment, when  in  his  speech  at  the  unveiling  of  the  monument  he 
declared :  "  It  is  most  appropriate  in  this  beautiful  place  in  which 
the  visitor  to  the  country's  capital  first  sets  foot  upon  the  small 
district  that  is  the  only  territory  in  which  this  great  government 
exercises  exclusive  jurisdiction,  that  he  should  be  confronted  by 
a  statue  of  the  great  mariner  whose  genius  and  daring  opened 
this  half  w^orld  to  progress  and  development.  Here  Columbus 
may  well  have  his  greatest  and  most  fitting  memorial." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
OPPOSING  BOLSHEVISM 

WHAT  today  is  called  "  Bolshevism,"  which  is  merely  a 
blanket  term  covering  Socialism  and  extreme  radical- 
ism generally,  naturally  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  As  Catholics,  they  were 
logically  conservative,  in  the  sense  that  they  would  have  con- 
sidered it  a  denial  of  Christianity  to  accept  the  theory  that  the 
whole  constitution  of  society  was  bad,  and  that  the  whole  system 
of  civilization  founded  on  Jewish,  Greek  and  Roman  ideals, 
influenced  by  the  teachings  of  Christ,  should  be  abolished  by  half- 
educated  and  fanatical  radicals.  The  Catholic  Church  had  come 
to  be  looked  on  in  this  country  as  one  of  the  bulwarks  of  civiliza- 
tion and  of  what  is  called  the  "  vested  interests."  Many  wealthy 
men  of  no  special  religious  creed  approved  of  the  Catholic  point 
of  view  and  were  willing  to  support,  in  a  measure,  Catholic  move- 
ments, believing  that  the  Church  stood  as  a  barrier  between  them 
and  the  mob  who  were  anxious  to  devour  their  possessions.  The 
Church  has  never  sought  to  protect  the  rich  unjustly  at  the 
expense  of  the  poor.  She  has  always  taught  that  the  rich  should 
hold  their  wealth  for  the  benefit  of  their  brethren  rather  than  for 
their  own  selfish  aggrandizement  or  the  establishment  of  a  class 
which,  like  the  patricians  of  Rome,  would  be  willing  to  give  bread 
and  the  circus  to  the  poor  and  to  consider  the  laborer  as  worthy 
only  of  such  hire  as  they  proposed  to  allow  him.  Faith  in  the 
Catholic  Church  presupposes  a  fixed  philosophy  of  life,  as  set 
forth  in  the  teachings  of  the  Little  Catechism,  a  condensation 
and  a  guide  to  the  conduct  of  life  for  Catholics  the  most  culti- 
vated to  those  the  least  educated. 

The  specious  claims  of  Socialism  that  it  could  turn  this  world 
into  an  earthly  paradise  by  making  a  perfect  State  the  guide  to  a 
perfect  life  on  earth,  were  strengthened  by  the  attitude  of  many 
of  our  capitalists,  who,  owing  to  the  ease  by  which  wealth  had 
been  accumulated,  had  acquired  a  firm  belief  that  the  world  was 

1192] 


Opposing  Bolshevism  193 

theirs,  and  that  the  hewer  of  wood  and  drawer  of  water  —  usu- 
ally a  foreign  immigrant  —  should  be  treated  as  the  aristocrats 
of  the  ancient  regime  in  France  before  the  Revolution  treated 
their  dependents.  They  had  learned  nothing  from  history.  For 
example,  the  attitude  of  certain  of  the  captains  of  industry  in 
Pennsylvania  during  the  great  coal  strike,  was  a  strong  symptom 
of  this  state  of  feeling.  Money  was  king,  and  both  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  and  the  destiny  of  the  workers  of  the 
United  States  were  to  be  controlled  and  directed  by  money.  This 
point  of  view,  used  by  agitators  who  represented  the  most 
vicious  forces  of  radicalism  in  Germany,  Russia  and  Italy,  inas- 
much as  they  sought  to  destroy  society  as  at  present  consti- 
tuted rather  than  to  accept  capitalistic  despotism,  seemed  likely 
to  become  a  crystallized  belief  in  the  minds  of  many  of  the  owners 
of  the  sources  of  production.  Insolence  and  arrogance,  lawless 
theft  as  opposed  to  legally  legitimized  theft,  seemed  about  to 
divide  the  country  into  two  castes. 

The  Directors  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  felt  that  they  must 
begin  a  campaign  of  education,  which  would  define  the  relations 
of  Capital  to  Labor,  the  duties  of  the  employer  and  the  respon- 
sibilities of  the  employed,  or,  reversely,  the  phrase  will  do  quite 
as  well.  The  Knights  recognized  the  truth  that  one  of  the  great- 
est evils  in  this  world  is  ignorance,  not  the  mere  ignorance  of 
book  learning,  but  that  intellectual  blindness  which  cannot  see 
its  duties  sufficiently  to  define  and  apply  .them.  They  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  in  conducting  this  campaign  of  education,  the 
spoken  word  was  more  potent  than  the  written.  The  old  world 
and  the  new  had  been  flooded  for  years  by  books  on  the  science 
and  art  of  political  economy.  The  Wealth  of  Nations,  the  writ- 
ings of  Malthus,  the  expositions  of  Marx  and  Bebel,  the  sociologi- 
cal theories  of  Spencer  and  John  Bright  —  in  a  word,  from  the 
ravings  of  Bakunin  to  the  Tolstoian  philosophy  of  non-resistance, 
the  reading  world  was  in  a  state  of  confusion  as  to  its  choice  of 
a  social  philosophy. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  understood  perfectly  that  there  was 
a  form  of  Christian  Communism  which  it  saw  applied  to  life  every 


194      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

day  in  the  management  of  the  reHgious  communities  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church.  This  Christian  Communism  was  no  more  effectively 
applied  anywhere  than  in  the  communities  of  religious  women, 
whose  methods,  it  seems,  might  easily  be  studied  by  those  modern 
feminists,  disciples  of  Saint-Simon  and  Fourier,  who  longed  for 
simplicity  of  life  directed  by  high  ideals.  The  Knights,  therefore, 
were  not  merely  actuated  by  an  abhorrence  of  all  forms  of  com- 
munism. Their  philosophy  had  taught  them  that  it  was  necessary 
to  distinguish,  and  that  it  was  also  necessary  to  attack  destructive 
socialism  at  its  strongest  point  by  men  of  capability  and  experi- 
ence who  would  neither  extenuate  nor  set  down  aught  in  malice. 
Very  fortunately,  it  was  possible  for  them  to  use  the  services  of 
the  late  Professor  James  C.  Monaghan,  who  knew  Northern 
Europe  thoroughly,  and  who  in  his  last  consular  post  at  Chem- 
nitz in  Germany  had  shown  such  unusual  efficiency  that  he 
was  promoted  to  a  position  in  the  State  Department.  He,  how- 
ever, preferred  a  professorship  in  Wisconsin  State  University, 
which  he  gave  up,  at  some  sacrifice,  in  order  to  devote  himself  to 
enlightening  his  fellow-citizens  as  to  the  social,  political  and 
economic  conditions  in  the  Old  World  and  to  drawing  such  les- 
sons as  could  be  taken  from  them  for  the  New. 

Down  to  this  period —  1913  —  lecturers  before  the  assemblies 
of  the  Knights  had  generally  limited  themselves  to  cultural  and 
religious  subjects.  There  had  been  no  systematic  attempt  to  spe- 
cialize. The  crusade  against  Socialism,  to  the  necessity  of  which 
the  world  has  suddenly  awakened,  was  thus  begun  by  the  Knights 
long  before  Russia  had  fallen  into  chaos,  and  the  forces  of  nega- 
tion had  been  covered  by  the  generic  name,  which  may  be  trans- 
lated from  the  Russian  as  "  the  Majority." 

It  is  an  unfortunate  fact  that,  in  the  hurry  and  stress  of  our 
life  —  where  very  few  people  make  haste  slowly  —  the  careful 
study  of  history  is  neglected,  and  history  itself,  unless  carefully 
sifted,  is  not  always  a  sure  guide  to  the  past.  Histories  like  that 
of  Lingard  —  too  much  neglected  —  and  Grisar's  Life  of  Luther, 
are  replaced  by  excerpts  from  the  unscientific  Hume  or  the 
romantic  Froude.     The  Knights  felt  that,  in  order  to  form  the 


THE  KNIOHCT^    OF  COODLMBIDI^  IN  MSA.CE  AMB 'm^M^  j 


Opposing  Bolshevism  195 

basis  for  a  good  understanding  of  modern  conditions,  historical 
background  was  necessary.  No  period  of  history  had  been,  until 
very  recently,  so  misunderstood  as  the  seminal  period  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages,  the  Dark  Ages,  as  they  were  misnamed,  simply  because 
no  English  writer  had  had  the  equipment  or  the  perception  to 
explore  it,  although  a  new  school  of  acute  research-workers  was 
then  forming  in  England  to  dissipate  some  of  that  darkness  with 
which  the  prejudices  of  the  Reformers  had  obscured  it.  To 
attempt  a  process  of  education  through  books,  through  the  for- 
mation of  a  library  to  be  circulated  among  the  members  of  the 
Order,  would  have  been  too  expensive  and  too  slow  to  meet  the 
immediate  necessities.  Fortunately,  a  very  distinguished  man,  a 
versatile  and  well-grounded  scholar.  Dr.  James  J.  Walsh,  was 
willing  to  undertake  this  work  of  education.  For  this  no  Ameri- 
can was  more  fitted.  His  works  on  medical  and  historical  ques- 
tions had  already  excited  attention  in  the  universities  of  Europe, 
especially  among  the  medical  experts.  He  was  an  authority  in 
the  history  of  medicine  and  in  the  cognate  history  of  the  times 
through  which  this  study  had  made  progress.  Although  his 
duties  as  Dean  of  the  Medical  Faculty  of  Fordham  University 
and  his  practice  as  a  specialist  consumed  a  great  deal  of  his  time, 
he  was  willing  to  undertake  the  task,  onerous  as  it  was. 

No  sooner  had  he  begun  his  lectures,  work  which  forced  him 
to  travel  from  one  end  of  our  country  to  the  other,  than  the  evi- 
dence of  his  success  was  everywhere  made  manifest,  and  when 
his  book,  The  Thirteenth:  Greatest  of  Centuries,  appeared,  his 
audiences  were  already  prepared  to  study  it  intelligently  in  the 
atmosphere  which  his  knowledge  and  sympathy  had  created. 
Appreciation  of  his  work  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  about  fifty 
thousand  copies  of  this  book  were  purchased  by  the  members  of 
the  Order,  whose  interest  in  historical  questions  was  becoming 
more  and  more  acute.  The  Board  of  Directors  had  created  a 
Catholic  Truth  Committee  which,  by  means  of  propaganda  in 
the  official  journal  and  well-considered  use  of  the  Order's 
machinery  for  reaching  its  members,  promoted  the  sale  of  this 
book  and  of  Dr.  Walsh's  The  Popes  and  Science. 


196      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

It  is  rather  difficult  to  understand  the  attitude  which  a  certain 
number  of  cultivated  persons  in  the  United  States  had  come  to 
take  in  relation  to  the  position  of  the  Popes  toward  the  progress 
of  science.  Intelligent  men,  who  laughed  at  the  fables  invented 
about  the  horrors  of  Masonic  initiation,  who  excused  the  burning 
of  the  Salem  witches  as  a  personal  manifestation  of  superstition, 
who  were  very  willing  to  exonerate  Calvin  for  the  murder  of 
Servetus,  because  it  was  the  custom  of  the  time  to  hold  heretics 
in  religion  as  traitors  to  their  country,  who  overlooked  the 
obscurantism  of  Luther  and  smiled  tolerantly  at  the  despotism 
of  Henry  VIII,  were  quite  willing  to  believe  any  fable  circulated 
as  to  the  character,  the  intention,  the  ignorance  and  the  super- 
stition of  a  Pope.  The  story  of  Galileo,  so  carefully  elucidated  by 
modern  historians  on  the  Continent,  was  looked  on  as  an  example 
of  the  prejudice  of  the  Popes  against  the  progress  of  science.  His 
imprisonment  and  persecution,  which  was  neither  imprisonment 
nor  persecution  in  any  injurious  sense,  were  bracketed  with  that 
other  silly  calumny  as  to  the  existence  of  Popess  Joan.  Alexander 
Dumas  was  taken  as  an  authority  on  the  history  of  Pope  Alexan- 
der VI,  who  was  certainly  a  man  of  the  highest  culture  and  strong 
belief  in  the  value  of  scientific  progress.  It  was  Voltaire  who 
once  said  that  if  one  throws  enough  mud  some  of  it  will  stick,  and 
much  of  this  *'  historical  "  mud  did  stick;  and  therefore  when  Dr. 
Walsh's  TJie  Popes  and  Science  appeared  it  was  a  revelation  to 
many  Catholics,  as  well  as  to  many  fair-minded  non-Catholics  who 
suddenly  discovered  that  there  was  a  bright  side  tq  the  dark  pages 
on  which  the  history  of  the  Popes  had  hitherto  been  written  for 
English-speaking  readers.  It  was  not  a  question  of  defending  the 
personal  character  of  Alexander  VI  or  any  other  Pope  —  Judas 
had  been  an  apostle,  and  St.  Peter  at  one  time  had  not  behaved 
with  conspicuous  loyalty  to  his  Divine  Master  —  but  that  the 
Popes,  whose  mission  after  all  was  the  infallible  exposition  of 
the  fundamentals  of  religion  and  morality,  had  been  obscur- 
antists in  secular  learning,  Dr.  Walsh  thoroughly  disproved, 
going  to  the  sources  and  not  depending,  as  too  many  historians 
do,  on  documents  quoted  and  edited  by  somebody  else. 


Opposing  Bolshevism  197 

The  background  had  been  carefully  arranged,  the  minds  of  the 
auditors  prepared  for  an  analysis  of  modern  economic  and  social 
conditions  by  men  of  experience,  who  were  not  mere  theorists, 
and  who  knew  too  well  the  danger  of  putting  a  mere  theorist  in 
the  position  of  teacher  in  these  practical  times.  It  was  necessary 
that  Socialism  should  be  seen  from  the  inside.  Hitherto,  it  had 
been  attacked  by  men  who  understood  its  ethics  and  its  workings 
mainly  from  books,  who  were  incapable  of  touching  its  strongest 
points  because  their  testimony  was  regarded  as  entirely  biased. 
Mr.  David  Goldstein  had  been  a  Socialist,  and  an  enthusiastic 
one ;  he  had  even  been  so  hi-ghly  rated  by  American  Socialists  that 
he  had  been  nominated  as  Mayor  of  Boston  on  their  ticket.  He 
was  saturated  with  the  historical  point  of  view  of  religion  and 
life  only  as  a  cultivated  Hebrew  can  be  so  saturated.  He  belonged 
to  a  race  which  had  given  us  the  greatest  poetry  and  the  finest 
literature  the  world  has  ever  known ;  he  understood  as  well  as  any 
living  man  the  secret  of  those  Jewish  economics  and  systems  of 
land  tenure  which  made  the  theories  and  practices  of  Socialism 
impossible  of  application  among  the  Jews.  Besides,  he  had  seen 
that  the  wisdom  of  Israel,  socially  and  economically,  might  have 
saved  a  modern  world  capable  of  applying  it;  evidently,  he  had 
become  disgusted  with  the  claims  of  the  capitalists,  their  dis- 
avowal of  responsibility  and  the  lack  of  a  sense  of  duty  or  pride 
in  the  work  on  the  part  of  the  representation  of  a  philosophy  of 
labor  which  is  as  Utopian  as  it  is  dangerous.  He  had  turned  for 
a  remedy  to  Socialism ;  he  found  that  it  had  not  even  the  saving 
quality  which  follows  the  application  of  a  poison  to  a  poison  as 
a  neutralizer.  Living  in  the  inner  circle  of  the  Socialistic  holy 
of  holies,  he  discovered  that  his  dreams,  based  on  the  theories  of 
Marx  and  Bebel,  were  mere  illusions.  The  Knights  of  Columbus 
were  fortunate  indeed  in  enlisting  his  services  in  the  cause  of 
truth  and  reasonable  sociology. 

The  labor  question  was  and  is  paramount  in  the  mind  of  every 

man  in  every  part  of  the  world  today.    The  Knights  of  Columbus 

felt  that  they  must  be  prepared  to  consider  it  in  all  its  bearings 

in  the  new  light  of  modern  development.    It  would  have  been  easy 

14 


198      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

to  have  found  an  eloquent  man,  a  wielder  of  the  weapons  of 
rhetoric,  who  would  have  given  forth  platitudes  as  fragile  and  as 
transparent  as  snowflakes  in  the  sun.  It  would  have  been  equally 
easy  to  discover  an  academically  trained  man,  scientific  in  his 
bent,  who  would  have  refined  his  discourses  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  hearers  would  have  had  no  definite  impressions  of  the 
value  of  his  thesis.  Pure  rhetoric  had  rather  gone  out  of  fashion, 
the  demagogues  and  spellbinders  had  torn  it  to  pieces.  What  was 
needed  in  the  councils  was  a  man  of  broad  experience,  sincere 
convictions,  who  possessed  the  art  of  thinking  and  speaking 
clearly.  After  much  discussion,  and  some  discouragement  which 
fortunately  was  not  permanent,  Mr.  Peter  W.  Collins,  formerly 
Secretary  of  the  International  Electrical  Workers  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Boston  Labor  Council,  was  induced  to  deliver  a  series 
of  lectures  on  the  ethical  position  of  Labor  in  relation  to  the 
actual  conditions  of  the  time.  He  had  begun  his  conferences 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  1914  when 'the 
State  Council  of  Minnesota  sent  him  out  to  impart  his  valuable 
message  to  audiences  of  all  creeds  and  classes  who  recognized 
his  sincerity  and  his  power  of  presenting  modern  problems  and 
their  solutions  in  language  understood  by  the  people. 

The  officers  of  the  subordinate  councils  had  the  perception  to 
see  that  the  decision  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  engaging  these 
men  meant,  not  that  their  influence  should  be  confined  to  a  few, 
but  that  it  should  be  able  to  reach  all  classes  of  society  in  the 
localities  to  which  they  were  called.  The  efforts  of  Messrs.  Gold- 
stein and  Collins,  arranged  so  that  they  supplemented  each  other, 
were  very  effective.  It  was  their  province  not  to  convince  those 
who  had  already  made  up  their  minds,  but  to  excite  and  stimulate 
reflection  on  the  part  of  the  eager  inquirer  or  of  him  who  was 
confused  by  specious  and  contradictory  statements  of  the  reasons 
that  lie  behind  unrest,  discontent  and  a  misunderstanding  of  those 
ideals  for  which  our  best  citizens  should  strive. 

These  gentlemen  applied  effectively  the  system  which  the  old 
Greek  philosophers  had  used  in  the  groves  of  the  Academy.  No 
statement  was  made  on  any  important  subject  which  was  not  left 


Opposing  Bolshevism  199 

open  to  the  examination  of  the  hearers,  and  neither  of  these  lec- 
turers refused  to  answer  any  questions,  reasonable  or  unreason- 
able, which  were  put  to  them.  In  fact,  the  conferences  became 
celebrated  as  social  symposiums,  and  their  effect  might  even  have 
been  more  far-reaching  had  not  the  outbreak  of  the  war  diverted 
attention  to  new  issues  which  overshadowed  and  diminished  any 
effort  that  did  not  touch  on  the  immediate  saving  of  the  country 
and  the  world.  The  result  of  Mr.  Collins'  tours,  extending,  as 
did  Mr.  Goldstein's,  over  four  years,  was  the  accumulation  of 
five  thousand  questions  and  answers  dealing  with  almost  every 
phase  of  sociology  and  political  economy  having  relations  with 
our  modern  conditions  of  life. 

The  struggle  against  the  destructive  tendencies  of  Bolshevism, 
to  use  a  title  which  covers  nearly  all  the  dangerous  social  tenden- 
cies known  to  civilization,  v/as  resumed  by  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus just  as  soon  as  the  actual  war  ceased.  At  a  time  when  certain 
extremists  had  evidently  determined  to  silence  by  violence  any 
form  of  protest  against  their  activities.  Supreme  Knight  Flaherty 
enunciated,  very  frankly  and  boldly,  the  ethics  on  which  the 
position  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  founded.  The  Knights, 
he  declared,  did  not  feel  it  their  duty  to  take  sides  in  the 
matter  of  healthy  differences  between  employers  and  employees, 
but  they  were  opposed  to  the  bitter  end  to  the  dangerous  princi- 
ples of  a  clique  which,  dominating  the  ignorant,  the  vicious  and 
the  discontented,  had  made  itself  appear  as  if  it  were  a  universal 
voice.  He  added  that  the  Order  would  use  every  resource  at  its 
command  to  defeat  the  forces  of  anarchy,  which,  under  language 
both  intended  to  deceive  and  deceiving,  are  leading  the  world  into 
absolutism  and  despotism. 

A  great  force  on  the  side  of  right  thinking  and  right  living  was 
The  Columbiad.  It  is  read  every  month  by  more  than  a  million 
of  men  and  women  in  every  part  of  this  country,  and  it  has 
become  not  only  a  preaching  and  a  teaching  force  but  an  authority 
on  ethical  and  social  questions  through  its  adherence  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christianity  and  their  application  under  the  authority 
of  the  Catholic  Church. 


200      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

These  movements  are  but  stepping  stones  to  higher  things. 
Their  effects  have  taught  the  Knights  of  Columbus  new  lessons 
which  they  will  use  all  their  efforts  in  making  concrete.  The 
motto  of  the  Knights  is,  after  all,  not  yesterday  or  today,  but 
tomorrow;  and  from  every  yesterday  and  today  the  power  of 
controlling  the  future  is  drawn.  It  may  be  truly  said  that  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  have  not  been  boastful;  in  presenting  the 
record  of  their  activities  they  have  stuck  as  closely  to  facts  as 
possible,  for  they  seem  to  believe  that  a  man  boasts  as  a  rule, 
when  he  does  boast,  not  of  the  things  he  has  actually  done,  but 
of  the  fine  things  he  might  have  done. 


CHAPTER  XV 
MEXICAN  BORDER  WORK 

A  PHENOMENON  that  was  to  be  repeated  at  a  later  and 
more  exacting  crisis,  was  witnessed  when,  in  the  early 
summer  of  1916,  events  in  Mexico  came  to  so  turbulent 
a  pass  that  the  United  States  was  forced  to  police  the  border, 
and  even  to  make  an  expedition  into  Mexico,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  General  Pershing,  to  rescue  American  troops  trapped 
and  made  prisoners  by  the  bands  of  insurrectos  commanded  by 
Pancho  Villa.  The  policy  pursued  by  our  Government  has  been 
aptly  styled  one  of  "  watchful  waiting."  With  characteristically 
scrupulous  regard  for  the  sovereignty  of  a  neighbor  nation,  even 
one  distressed  by  almost  continuous  upheaval,  the  United  States 
made  no  pretense  of  mobilizing  a  force  on  the  border  for  the 
purpose  of  restoring  order  in  Mexico.  Subsequent  events  seem 
to  bear  out  the  conclusion  then  pronounced  by  those  familiar 
with  the  situation  that  a  force  very  much  larger  than  the  Ameri- 
can Army  assembled  at  the  border  and  a  campaign  of  first-class 
dimensions  would  have  been  necessary  for  that  purpose,  as  the 
mere  fact  of  invasion  would  probably  have  precipitated  a  union 
of  the  forces  of  agitation  in  Mexico  and  rendered  the  task  of 
restoring  order  one  of  the  first  magnitude,  in  a  country  which 
ofifers  such  opportunities  for  guerilla  warfare.  Our  proceeding 
to  the  border  and  camping  in  force  along  it  was  an  indication, 
an  authoritative  notification,  of  our  intention  to  protect  Ameri- 
can citizens  and  property  from  attack  by  Mexican  insurrectos 
and  to  punish  such  attack  if  surreptitiously  or  otherwise  made. 
To  this  end  the  different  units  of  the  National  Guard  were 
summoned  to  their  armories  and,  in  due  time,  dispatched  to  take 
up  their  positions  along  the  border.  An  indisputable  fact, 
common  to  this  mobilization  and  to  the  mobilization  following 
the  declaration  of  war  against  Germany,  was  the  large  percent- 
age of  Catholic  men  who  answered  the  call  to  the  colors.  In 
Southern  Guard  units  the  proportion  of  Catholics  to  the  total 

[201] 


202      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

personnel  was  not  large,  although  larger  than  the  Catholic  pro- 
portion of  the  population.  In  Northern  and  other  geographical 
units  the  proportion  of  Catholics  to  the  total  personnel  varied 
between  thirty-five  and  forty  per  cent.,  exceeding  the  Catholic 
percentage  of  the  total  population  by  from  ten  to  fifteen  per  cent. 

The  territory  along  the  Mexican  border,  so  far  as  American 
Catholic  activity  is  concerned,  is  missionary  country.  The 
Catholic  dioceses  there  are  of  huge  area  containing  scattered 
congregations,  some  parishes  comprising  settlements  distributed 
over  thousands  of  square  miles.  The  diocese  of  Corpus  Christi 
with  an  area  of  22,391  square  miles  contains  only  140,000  per- 
sons, of  whom  about  75,000  are  Catholics,  with  but  forty-four 
priests  to  minister  to  them,  and  conditions  are  much  worse  in 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

Under  the  best  conditions  —  granting  a  vigorous  pastor  and 
easy  methods  of  transportation,  it  is  physically  impossible  to 
give  more  than  necessary  ministration  to  the  souls  in  the  differ- 
ent parishes,  the  priest's  visit,  in  some  instances  being  but  once 
every  two  weeks  or  every  month.  At  the  time  the  National 
Guard  was  encamped  at  the  border  this  condition  was  even  worse 
than  it  is  today. 

Hence  it  is  apparent  that  the  thousands  of  Catholic  men  at 
the  border  were  precariously  situated  so  far  as  spiritual  minis- 
tration entered  into  their  lives,  and,  being  Catholic  men  nur- 
tured in  Catholic  homes,  their  religion  was  of  paramount  impor- 
tance. Although  they  had  military  chaplains  appointed  to  their 
units,  the  services  of  these  chaplains  no  matter  how  zealous  and 
indefatigable,  were  inadequate.  Our  non-Catholic  friends  who 
have  often  wondered,  in  .the  face  of  chaplaincy  statistics  for  the 
various  denominations,  why  Catholics  insist  upon  supplementing 
official  religious  ministrations  to  our  troops,  have  by  this  time 
come  to  understand  that  the  Catholic  chaplain  must  exercise  a 
personal  care  for  each  man  in  his  unit  which  cannot  be  done  in 
any  way  satisfactory  when  the  numbers  of  men  are  dispropor- 
tionately great  in  the  service.  Hard-headed  military  men  realize, 
through  no  sentimental  persuasion,  but  from  the  logic  of  well- 


Mexican  Border  Work  203 

considered  facts,  that  religion  in  an  army  is  the  strongest  support 
of  morale,  and  where  religion  is  so  inseparably  weaved  into  the 
mental  functionings,  as  it  is  in  the  case  of  the  Catholic  soldier, 
morale  becomes  seriously  threatened  if  opportunities  for  its 
practice  are  insufficient. 

This  necessity  of  substantially  augmenting  the  opportunities 
for  religious  practice  for  the  Catholic  men  in  our  army  at  the 
border  was  the  prime  reason  for  the  entry  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  into  war  relief  work  there,  just  as  the  same  necessity, 
magnified,  first  prompted  the  Knights  to  enter  the  larger  sphere 
of  relief  work  when  the  United  States  entered  the  world  war. 

There  is  another  reason,  which  had  to  do  with  the  sore  need 
of  adequate  recreation  facilities  for  all  our  men.  This  need  was 
particularly  felt  by  the  Catholics.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  an  essen- 
tially non-Catholic  organization,  had  established  several  recrea- 
tion huts  along  the  border  in  which  religious  services  for  non- 
Catholics  were  conducted  and  entertainment  features  supplied 
similar  to  these  provided  by  the  Association's  British  and  French 
branches  for  the  men  of  the  Allied  armies.  The  Catholic  men 
at  the  border  quite  naturally  longed  for  similar  facilities,  but  in 
an  environment  to  which  they  were  more  accustomed. 

Added  to  the  crying  need  for  adequate  religious  ministration, 
this  formed  a  dual  opportunity  for  some  Catholic  organization 
to  grasp.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  were  diffident  of  entering 
the  field,  for  while  they  were  a  benevolent  society  of  Catholics 
they  were  not,  according  to  a  strict  reading  of  their  articles  of 
incorporation,  instituted  for  this  kind  of  endeavor.  But  the  calls 
from  the  border  became  insistent.  Reports  were  such  as  to  dis- 
comfort parents  and  relatives  of  men  stationed  on  duty  there. 
The  Supreme  Board  of  Directors,  realizing  that  if  action  were 
to  be  effectual  it  should  be  prompt,  decided  at  their  meeting  held 
in  Detroit  in  July,  1916,  to  go  to  the  relief  of  the  men  of  their 
faith  at  the  border.  Without  any  flourish  of  trumpets  or 
financial  campaign,  agents  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were 
dispatched  to  make  a  survey. 

Several  towns  along  the  border  contained  councils  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  in  these  councils  the  Order's  agents 


204      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

found  fitting  instruments  for  the  initiation  of  work  there.  At 
Deming,  New  Mexico,  the  first  border  recreation  hall  was  opened. 
This  hall  like  all  those  in  border  towns  containing  subordinate 
councils  of  the  Order  was  managed  under  the  auspices  of  the 
local  council.  The  accommodations  it  offered  were  similar  to 
those  of  the  other  halls  of  which  it  was  the  predecessor.  There 
were  reading  and  writing  rooms,  a  dais  or  stage  for  entertain- 
ment and  small  quarters  for  the  chaplain  or  chaplains  making 
use  of  the  hall.  At  Deming,  as  at  other  places,  the  building  was 
not  a  hall  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  but  rooms  leased  in  a 
structure  used  for  business  purposes  and  converted  into  club 
quarters  with  the  usual  equipment. 

Perhaps  some  misunderstanding  has  resulted  from  indiscrimi- 
nate newspaper  references  to  these  recreation  places  at  the  border 
as  "  camps,"  buildings,  stations  and  huts.  They  were  really  all 
four,  but  the  term  station  no  doubt  properly  applies  to  rooms 
such  as  those  at  Deming;  the  huts  are  the  wooden  structures 
erected  at  San  Antonio,  Llano  Grande,  San  Benito,  McAllen,  El 
Paso,  Brownsville  and  Camps  Wilson,  Cotton  and  Pershing.  At 
Nogales,  Arizona,  local  fire  ordinances  forbade  the  erection  of 
a  wooden  building,  so  a  substantial  brick  building  was  put  up. 
Elsewhere  tents,  to  which  the  term  "  camp  "  may  be  most  fittingly 
applied,  were  set  up  for  convenience  of  the  militiamen. 

The  most  comprehensive  word  applicable  to  those  recreation 
places  is  "  center,"  for,  whether  made  of  brick  or  wood  or  canvas, 
that  they  most  certainly  were.  Where  the  thousands  of  young 
men  had  been  compelled  during  the  comparatively  inactive  hours 
of  waiting  at  the  border,  to  seek  recreation  as  best  they  could, 
and  often  in  the  little  border  towns  that  were  rife  with  dishonest 
and  immoral  camp-followers  profiteering  at  the  expense  of  the 
boys,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  centers  were,  indeed,  godsends. 
Equipped  with  reading  and  writing  facilities,  with  billiard  tables, 
where  possible,  with  musical  instruments  and  dance  floors,  with 
athletic  machinery  and  with  that  greatest  boon  to  tired  men  in  a 
hot  climate  —  limitless  ice  water  —  the  border  centers  were 
eagerly  patronized  by  all  men,  regardless  of  religious  affiliation. 


KOfC  ^ 


THE  KNIOHCT^    OF  COLllMBlDl^  IM  ]R]EM^  A^l])  "^^^^^M^ 


Mexican  Border  Work  205 

Special  Supreme  Agent  William  J.  Moriarity  of  St.  Louis 
had  field  supervision  of  the  Mexican  Border  Work.  From  the 
outset  he  reported  surprising  popularity  of  the  facilities  afforded 
the  men,  surprising  because  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  com- 
plete strangers  to  the  kind  of  undertaking  to  which  they  had 
committed  themselves,  and  they  were  working,  for  a  large  part, 
among  men  who  came  from  sections  of  the  country  where  the 
Order  and  all  other  Catholic  institutions  were  generally 
misunderstood. 

It  called  for  great  confidence  to  go  into  the  work  as  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  did  with  the  gravest  uncertainty  as  to  what 
might  occur  in  Mexico.  The  Knights  had  no  definite  official  stand- 
ing. Their  operations  were  purely  on  a  civilian  basis.  They  did 
not  have  the  advantage,  as  in  the  War,  of  having  their  workers 
officially  uniformed.  Their  men  at  the  border  were  ordinary, 
hard-working  civilians,  many  of  whom  put  in  their  leisure  hours 
serving  the  militiamen. 

Of  course,  the  greatest  boon  conferred  by  the  establishments 
at  the  border  was  the  opportunity  for  religious  practice.  The 
Catholic  chaplains  were  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  these  centers 
as  religious  headquarters,  and  that  is  where,  unquestionably,  the 
centers  served  with  the  best  results  for  the  morale  of  the  troops. 
Crowds  of  men  would  flock  to  Confession  and  to  Mass  and  Com- 
munion; the  centers  were  literally  havens  for  the  men  of  the 
Catholic  faith.  Men  not  of  Catholic  belief  also  felt  the  influence 
brought  into  their  lives  by  the  presence  of  these  centers.  Solemn 
religious  ceremonies  were  not  a  frequent  occurrence,  although, 
of  course,  services  were  regular.  But  the  ministrations  of  the 
priests  and  the  Christian  atmosphere  brought  to  thousands  of 
men  removed  from  home  ties  and  suffering  from  idleness  and 
ennui  were  reflected  on  the  other  thousands  who  shared  the 
mental  and  physical  recreation  offered  by  the  Knights  to  all. 

Amusing  stories  are  told  of  the  way  in  which  the  Georgia 
"  crackers  "  were  brought  to  avail  themselves  of  the  comforts 
supplied  by  the  Knights.  At  first  suspicious  of  the  brotherly  hand 
extended  to  them  by  Catholics,  whom  they  had  been  always 


206      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

instructed  to  regard  as  anything  else  but  brothers,  they  ventured 
into  the  centers  at  El  Paso,  where  they  were  stationed,  and  their 
conversion  to  sympathy  and  approval  was  rapid,  so  that  they 
became  regular  patrons.  This  practical  propagation  of  the  gospel 
of  tolerance  was  general  along  the  border.  The  non-Catholics 
of  the  National  Guard  were  quick  to  realize  that  although  one 
of  the  prime  objects  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  undertaking 
relief  work  among  them  was  to  care  for  those  of  the  Catholic 
faith,  yet  they  drew  no  religious  lines.  "  Everybody  Welcome  " 
was  the  slogan,  and  nobody  ever  had  the  slightest  reason  to  ques- 
tion its  sincerity. 

It  is  estimated  that  approximately  250,000  men  saw  border 
service  between  the  summer  of  1916  and  the  spring  of  1917.  The 
Order  reached  all  of  these  men.  Beginning  at  Deming,  the  chain 
of  centers  was  extended  until  it  covered  nineteen  points;  the 
service  was  made  intensive  at  the  same  time  it  was  being  extended. 
The  secret  was  learned  by  the  Knights  that  fighting  men  need 
leadership  just  as  much  in  their  free  hours  as  they  do  in  drill  and 
battle.  The  Knights  provided  the  leaders.  Organizing  all  man- 
ner of  sporting  events,  their  workers  ref ereed  football  and  base- 
ball games,  conducted  hikes,  encouraged  boxing  contests,  pro- 
vided orchestras,  and  even  acted  as  chaperons  at  dances ! 

"  What  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  done  and  are  doing  for 
the  men  at  the  border  cannot  be  appreciated  unless  seen  and 
understood,"  one  well-known  chaplain,  the  Reverend  M.  J. 
O'Connor  of  the  Ninth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  testified,  and 
there  was  not  another  chaplain  at  the  border  who  did  not  express 
the  same  conviction,  for  it  was  the  chaplains  who,  before  the 
Knights  undertook  the  task  of  providing  relief,  had  most  keenly 
regretted  the  lack  of  it.  The  heartiest  co-operation  between  the 
workers  appointed  by  the  Supreme  Officers  of  the  Order  and  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  subordinate  councils  in  the  neighborhood  of 
border  camps  made  for  the  utmost  efficiency  in  a  work  entirely 
new  and  conducted  with  more  fervor  than  science.  The  chaplains 
and  the  officers  and  men  appreciated  this.  They  saw  that  a  big- 
hearted  endeavor  was  being  made  to  make  their  lives  more  agree- 


Mexican  Border  Work  207 

able  under  most  trying  circumstances,  and  tliey  welcomed  every- 
thing that  was  done  for  them. 

Not  only  the  councils  located  at  the  border,  but  councils 
throughout  the  country,  helped  the  work  by  paying  particular 
attention  to  military  units  originating  from  their  localities.  This 
attention  was  made  manifest  most  at  the  Christmas  of  1916  —  a 
Christmas  celebrated  at  the  border  as  it  had  never  been  celebrated 
before.  If  the  works  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  with  their  com- 
forts had  seemed  luxuries  during  the  hot  summer  and  warm 
autumn,  they  became  absolute  necessities  when  the  sterner 
weather  of  winter,  with  the  treacherously  cold  southern  nights, 
came  upon  our  watching  army.  By  Christmas-time,  with  their 
specially  installed  heating  equipment,  the  centers  had  attained 
their  maximum  popularity.  Some  thousands  of  the  troops  had 
returned  home  by  then,  in  fact,  nearly  half  of  the  quarter-million 
or  more  mobilized  at  the  border  had  been  recalled  to  their  homes, 
but  the  remaining  tens  of  thousands  enjoyed  to  the  full  the 
resources  of  the  new  Knights  of  Columbus  relief  organization. 

A  striking  series  of  religious  services  were  held  in  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  centers  and  also  in  nearby  cities,  as  at  San  Antonio. 
At  one  point,  Laredo,  from  both  sides  of  the  border  the  "  Adeste 
Fidelis  "  was  sung  by  American  and  Mexican  troops  in  the  first 
hour  of  the  Christmas  morning.  The  singing  of  this  hymn  by 
the  opposing  though  not  embattled  forces  seemed  to  seal  the 
understanding  then  arrived  at  that  there  should  'be  no  war 
between  the  two  republics. 

The  movement  of  militiamen  back  to  their  homes  was  expedited 
after  Christmas.  General  Frederick  Funston,  in  command, 
published  his  plans  to  bring  about  a  rapid  demobilization,  and 
these  were  carried  out  with  characteristic  vigor.  The  Knights  of 
Columbus  maintained  their  service  until  the  last,  so  that  all  the 
returning  men  carried  with  them  as  a  permanent  impression 
gained  in  their  border  service,  the  solicitude  shown  for  them  by 
the  Order  which  towards  the  end  of  the  sojourn  of  the  troops 
helped  them  educationally  by  free  courses  in  Spanish.  They  left 
with  the  conviction,  renewed  in  their  later  and  greater  military 


208      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

experience,  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had  gone  down  to  the 
border  simply  to  serve  them  all  —  to  save  where  necessary,  but 
to  serve,  always. 

After  the  great  bulk  of  militiamen  had  departed  from  Texas, 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  the  Supreme  Officers  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  decided  that  as  the  urgent  necessity  of  the  Order's 
entry  into  border  work  had  arisen  from  the  fact  that  the  border 
dioceses  were  wretchedly  poor  in  physical  resources,  the  best  dis- 
position that  could  possibly  be  made  of  the  buildings  and  other 
material  belonging  to  the  Order  in  the  different  camps,  would  be 
to  turn  them  over  to  the  Church.  The  Knights  had  not  asked  for 
or  received  one  cent  of  money  from  the  general  public  or  from 
any  other  source  than  their  own  funds,  for  the  undertaking.  The 
material  was  theirs  to  give  away,  and  they  gave  it  promptly  to 
those  who  most  needed  it.  The  only  condition  attached  to  their 
gifts  was  that  the  buildings  should  be  used  by  the  soldiery  so  long 
as  they  had  need  of  them.  Wherever  the  buildings  could  be  of 
service  to  the  regular  army  chaplains  (for  the  regular  troops  at 
the  border  benefitted  by  the  buildings  just  as  well  as  the  militia- 
men) they  were  surrendered  to  the  chaplains,  to  come  later  under 
the  direction  of  the  local  church  authorities.  The  territory  cov- 
ered by  the  chain  of  border  structures  being  one,  as  before  noted, 
in  which  Catholic  churches  were  and  still  are  few  and  far  between, 
and  the  sources  of  financial  support  so  meagre  that  it  was  not 
possible  to  provide  adequate  facilities  for  the  education  of  the 
thousands  of  Mexican  refugee  children  cast  into  the  country  by 
the  troublous  events  in  the  southern  republic,  the  Supreme  Offi- 
cers decided  that  they  could  now  have  no  better  use  than  as 
schools  and  supplementary  parish  buildings  for  the  missions  near 
which  they  were  located. 

This  decision  was  doubly  appropriate,  for  many  of  the  mission- 
aries had  made  great  sacrifices  to  minister  to  the  needs  of  the 
Catholic  soldiers  in  the  first  weeks  after  mobilization  began, 
before  arrangements  were  made  to  send  chaplains  to  the  border 
from  the  various  states.  In  one  instance,  that  of  Nogales,  the 
brick  building,  built  upon  land  owned  by  Nogales  Council,  was 


Mexican  Border  Work  209 

presented  to  the  Council,  which  had  displayed  unbounded  hos- 
pitality to  the  militiamen  stationed  at  Nogales  during  the  long 
months  of  watchful  waiting.  The  council  decided  to  use  part  of 
the  building  for  school  purposes,  thus  aiding  the  local  parish. 

The  building  at  El  Paso  and  the  buildings  at  Camps  Cotton 
and  Pershing  were  turned  over  to  the  Right  Reverend  Bishop 
A.  J.  Schuler  as  schools  for  near-by  missions.  The  Oblate 
Fathers  received  the  buildings  at  Llano  Grande,  San  Benito  and 
McAllen,  and  at  Laredo  the  Knights  of  Columbus  structure  and 
equipment  were  given  to  the  Catholic  Orphans'  Home,  in  charge 
of  the  Servants  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  for  the  Poor  and 
Orphaned. 

The  gratitude  of  the  venerable  Bishop  of  El  Paso,  for  this 
service  rendered  him,  was  conveyed  in  a  letter  in  which  he  said : 
"  I  wish  to  express  my  sincerest  thanks  for  the  generosity  and 
thoughtfulness  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  turning  over  to 
me  their  Headquarters  houses  at  Camp  Cotton,  Camp  Pershing 
and  Camp  Stewart.  My  intentions,  at  present  at  least,  are  to  use 
these  buildings  for  several  schools  that  I  am  contemplating  at 
Isleta  and  Socorro,  Texas,  near  El  Paso,  for  the  poor  Mexican 
children.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  you  to  learn  that  one  of  these 
schools  will  be  built  on  the  ground  on  which  the  oldest  Mission 
Church  in  this  part  of  the  world  stands  —  at  Isleta,  Texas." 

And  to  the  good  bishop's  thanks  must  be  added  the  touching 
gratitude  of  the  sisters  and  missionaries  whose  work  was  benefited 
by  the  wise  disposition  of  the  buildings.  Instrumental  from  the 
first  in  saving  souls,  the  closing,  on  April  1,  1916,  of  the  last  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  centers  at  the  Mexican  border  and  the 
reassignment  of  these  centers  to  the  poor  of  the  Church,  was 
unquestionably  part  of  a  providential  plan. 

The  problems  of  organizing  the  work  at  the  border,  of  strate- 
gically placing  the  buildings  that  ministered  to  the  religious  and 
social  wants  of  the  militiamen,  and  of  adequately  equipping  and 
maintaining  these  centers,  were  not  easily  solved.  They  demanded 
large  expenditures  and  incessant  industry.  But  the  zeal  that  can 
be  created  only  by  a  voluntary  undertaking  of  patriotic  duty 


210      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

found  ways  and  means  to  overcome  all  difficulties,  and  the  work 
proceeded  from  first  to  last,  without  a  hitch.  What  might  other- 
wise have  been  a  bleak  and  empty  period  for  our  men  under  arms 
was  transformed  by  the  Knights'  quick  action  into  as  pleasant  an 
experience  as  the  exigencies  of  the  situation  permitted. 

The  praise  accorded  by  officers  and  men  who  benefited  by  the 
work  adequately  measured  its  value  and  the  achievement  of  allay- 
ing religious  prejudice  in  the  minds  of  thousands  who  discovered 
the  love  and  humanity  and  the  desire  for  a  perfect  brotherhood 
that  actuated  the  Knights  was  most  gratifying.  By  bringing 
about  fraternization  of  Catholics  and  non-Catholics  the  Knights 
builded  better  than  they  knew,  for  when  the  most  critical  test 
came  with  the  War,  bringing  an  insistent  call  to  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  to  plunge  into  a  greater  service  than  they  had  ever 
dreamed  of  entering  —  the  work  at  the  Mexican  border,  blessed 
in  its  operation  and  certainly  in  its  results  —  stood  as  a  guarantee 
in  the  cold,  keen  eyes  of  the  Nation's  war  managers,  of  what  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  could  be  expected  to  do  for  the  men  who 
left  all  behind  to  serve  their  country.  Their  unselfish  devotion  in 
giving  their  time  and  treasure,  without  any  appeal  for  public 
support,  to  the  men  in  patient  service  at  the  border  was  destined 
to  be  requited.  They  served  without  any  hope  of  reward,  for  cer- 
tainly there  was  none  in  prospect,  but  the  government,  which 
measures  nothing  by  sentiment  but  all  things  by  use  and  accom- 
plishment, recognized  that  at  the  border  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
had  been  weighed  in  the  balance  and  found  not  wanting.  Their 
reputation  as  a  disinterested  American  organization,  made  up  of 
men  who  could  act  patriotically  quite  as  readily  as  they  could 
speak  patriotically,  was  established.  The  Knights  of  Columbus 
were  acknowledged  successful  in  their  effort  to  serve  the  public. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
DECISION  FOR  WORK  IN  THE  WAR 

THE  entry  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  into  the  field  of 
relief  work  thrown  open  by  the  participation  of  the 
United  States  in  the  World  War  was  the  result  of 
spontaneous  patriotic  sentiment.  In  the  eventful  months  from 
the  beginning  of  the  war  to  that  most  critical  month  in 
recent  American  history  —  April,  1917  —  the  country  had  been 
harassed  by  all  manner  of  propaganda.  Each  of  the  warring 
nations  of  Europe  had  its  official  or  quasi-official  information 
bureau,  and  the  neutral  nations  were  not  lacking  in  clever  apolo- 
gists devoted  to  their  cause.  The  American  press  was  under 
a  constant  deluge  of  newspaper  "  stories  "  which  attempted  to 
justify  the  action  of  this  belligerent  or  explain  the  apparent 
misdeeds  of  that.  Notables  of  the  various  warring  nations 
were  interviewed  in  the  press  and  often  on  the  same  page 
of  a  newspaper.  Cable  dispatches  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic,  written,  no  doubt,  in  good  faith  by  war  corre- 
spondents, were  merely  disguised  statements  of  the  affirmatives 
and  negatives  of  the  great  debate.  The  depths  of  American  jour- 
nalism were  stirred  by  a  thousand  different  hands.  A  portion  of 
the  press  frankly  espoused  the  Allied  cause  from  the  very  begin- 
ning. A  large  section  of  the  press  seemed  alternately  to  consider 
one  side  or  the  other  just  in  its  claims;  while  a  small  section 
attempted  to  uphold  the  Teutonic  argument.  Altogether  there 
resulted  a  most  confused  state  in  the  public  mind,  for,  added  to 
the  vigorous  recriminations  of  the  foreign  propagandists,  the 
news  of  the  war's  progress  itself,  sensational  in  the  extreme,  was 
sufficient  to  distract  even  the  best-balanced  and  most  dispassionate 
observer  of  world  events. 

Over  and  above  the  various  foreign  propagandists  there  was 
more  than  a  suspicion  that  a  certain  element  sought  to  capitalize 
the  general  anxiety  for  national  safety  brought  about  by  the 
colossal  drama  being  enacted  on  the  fields  of  France.     This 

[211] 


212      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

jingoism  ran  its  whole  gamut  in  the  press,  adding  to  the  general 
clamor  of  the  journalistic  protagonists  of  the  struggling  powers. 
So  that,  all  things  considered,  it  is  remarkable  that  the  great  body 
of  the  American  people  remained  mentally  sober  when  the 
strongest  propaganda  was  served  to  it  every  hour  of  the  day  in 
ever-increasing  doses. 

The  German  government,  by  repeated  outrages  against  Ameri- 
can rights,  defeated  the  object  of  its  own  propaganda  in  this 
country  and  clarified  the  complicated  war  being  waged  in  the 
American  press  between  it  and  its  opponents. 

But  long  before  the  rupture  with  the  German  government, 
months  before  diplomatic  relations  were  broken  between  Wash- 
ington and  Berlin,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  justifying  their 
claim  to  be  a  purely  American  organization,  had  sensed  the 
nation's  urgent  spiritual  need  of  a  demonstration  on  the  part  of 
the  people  that  there  was  room  in  this  country  for  but  one  national 
faith  —  Americanism ;  that  all  European  sentiments  and  predi- 
lections were  excluded  by  the  term  "American,''  and  that  the  first 
principles  of  our  nationalism,  as  embodied  in  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  must  be  reasserted,  clearly  and  convincingly,  so 
that  all  who  heard  should  take  notice  that  in  the  United  States 
but  one  interest  and  one  cause  was  paramount  —  the  interest  and 
the  cause  of  the  United  States.  If  our  cause  held  something  in 
common  with  that  for  which  the  nations  of  the  Entente  were  fight- 
ing —  which  proved  to  be  the  case  — then  their  cause  would  be 
ours  until  the  common  purpose  was  accomplished. 

Sensing  this  need  for  a  demonstration  of  the  national  spirit,  a 
demonstration  which  could  not  fail  to  comfort  and  support  the 
government  in  facing  crucial  problems  and  of  reaching  a  most 
vital  decision,  the  Fourth  Degree  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
under  the  leadership  of  the  members  of  the  Supreme  Assembly, 
planned  a  nation-wide  Washington's  Birthday  celebration. 

It  was  planned  to  have  gatherings  in  the  principal  cities  of  the 
country  on  the  22nd  of  February,  1917,  and  to  carry  out  patriotic 
exercises  at  these  gatherings,  which  were  to  be  open  to  all  Ameri- 
cans.     Members  of   the   Order   prominent   in   public   life  were 


Decision  for  Work  in  the  War  213 

selected  to  address  these  gatherings  and  the  programs  to  be  car- 
ried out  in  the  different  cities  were  arranged  upon  an  harmonious 
basis. 

The  celebrations  were  duly  held.  The  names  of  the  privileged 
cities  and  of  the  principal  speakers  at  the  exercises,  which  were 
held  under  the  auspices  of  the  local  General  Assembly,  are  worthy 
of  historical  record.    They  are : 

Atlanta,  Georgia,  the  Honorable  John  Burke,  Treasurer  of  the 
United  States;  Augusta,  Georgia,  the  Honorable  Thomas  H. 
Cannon,  Supreme  President  of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters; 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  the  Honorable  Charles  J.  Bonaparte; 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  James  J.  Walsh  of  New  York;  Buffalo, 
New  York,  Cond^  B.  Fallen,  Ph.  D.,  LL.D.  of  New  York; 
Chicago,  Illinois,  Mayor  James  M.  Curley  of  Boston;  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  Supreme  Director  William  J.  Mulligan  of  Thompson- 
ville,  Connecticut;  Davenport,  Iowa,  Judge  John  W.  Willis  of 
St.  Paul ;  Denver,  Colorado,  the  Honorable  James  M.  Graham  of 
Springfield,  Illinois;  Detroit,  Michigan,  the  Honorable  John  P. 
McGoorty  of  Chicago,  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  Illinois ; 
Houston,  Texas,  the  Very  Reverend  J.  M.  Kerwin  of  Galveston, 
President  of  St.  Mary's  Seminary  of  Laporte;  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  the  Honorable  Edward  J.  Dermott;  Jacksonville, 
Florida,  Judge  M.  T.  Bryan  of  Nashville,  Tennessee;  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin,  Joseph  Scott  of  Los  Angeles ;  Minneapolis,  Minnesota, 
Marcus  A.  Kavanagh  of  Chicago;  Nashville,  Tennessee,  Robert 
G.  Wulf  of  Louisville,  Kentucky;  Nezv  Haven,  Connecticut,  the 
Honorable  Timothy  J.  Ansberry  of  Washington ;  New  York,  New 
York,  Dr.  Jeremiah  E.  Burke,  Assistant  Superintendent  of 
Schools  of  Boston;  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  Judge  Thomas 
H.  Dowd  of  Boston ;  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  Joyce  Kilmer  of 
New  York;  Portland,  Oregon,  the  Honorable  Frank  J.  Murasky 
of  San  Francisco,  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  California; 
Providence,  Rhode  Island,  Dr.  Hugh  J.  Molloy,  Principal  of  Pub- 
lic Schools  at  Lowell,  Massachusetts;  Richmond,  Virginia,  the 
Honorable  Joseph  E.  Ransdell,  United  States  Senator  from 
Louisiana;  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  Denis  A.  McCarthy  of  Boston; 
15 


214      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  the  Honorable  John  B.  McGauran,  mem- 
ber of  Denver  Council  and  United  States  Surveyor  General  for 
Colorado;  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  Judge  Jere  B.  Sullivan  of 
Des  Moines,  Iowa,  now  located  in  New  York  City  as  Chairman 
of  the  United  States  Board  of  General  Appraisers,  Port  of  New 
York;  Washington,  D.  C,  Judge  Morgan  J.  O'Brien  of  New 
York  City. 

The  public  halls  in  which  these  gatherings  took  place  could  not 
contain  the  crowds  that  sought  to  partake  in  the  proceedings. 
The  addresses  delivered  by  the  principal  speakers  were  pitched 
in  a  high  key  of  patriotism.  The  audiences,  elated  by  the 
patriotic  purpose  of  the  gatherings,  joined  heartily  in  the  singing 
of  national  songs,  and,  all  told,  these  celebrations  were  a  spon- 
taneous outpouring  of  feeling  at  a  time  when  such  a  demon- 
stration was  of  great  value  —  the  country  not  being  altogether 
free  from  divided  counsels. 

The  press  recounted  the  story  of  this  nation-wide  celebration 
and  commented  editorially  upon  it.  The  Springfield  Republican 
summarized  the  object  and  accomplishment  of  the  Washington's 
Birthday  Celebration  in  a  paragraph  that  is  an  enduring  testi- 
monial to  the  success  of  the  plan.  Under  the  caption  of  "  Good 
Work  Well  Done,"  The  Republican  said:  "  It  is  not  too  late  to 
say  that  the  series  of  'meetings  organized  by  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  throughout  the  country  on  Washington's  Birthday,  at 
which  capable  speakers  set  forth  the  patriotic  duty  of  Americans, 
constituted  a  fine  service  to  the  nation  at  this  time.  So  far  as  we 
have  observed  the  speakers  were  temperate  and  broad  in  their 
treatment  of  the  national  situation  and  its  possibilities,  and  so 
were  calculated  to  be  effective  in  inspiring  patriotism  .  .  . 
Any  who  seek  to  introduce  racial  antagonisms  or  social  differ- 
ences at  such  a  time  as  this  are  in  bad  business,  and  either  their 
judgment  or  their  motives  are  at  fault.  In  either  case  they  are 
blameworthy,  although  differing  in  degree.  By  contrast  with 
any  such  offense  the  service  which  the  Knights  of  Columbus  per- 
formed on  the  22d  of  Februarv  shines  with  clear  and  reassuring 
light." 


Decision  for  Work  in  the  War  215 

This  "  clear  and  reassuring  light  "  was  augmented  by  the  thou- 
sands of  voices  making  their  echoes  heard  in  Washington  from 
all  parts  of  the  country.  Councils  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
everywhere  met  and  passed  patriotic  resolutions  pledging  the 
fullest  support  to  President  and  Congress  in  whatever  path  they 
might  elect  to  follow  at  the  juncture  at  which  the  nation  had 
arrived.  These  resolutions  were  telegraphed  to  the  national 
capital,  to  the  Chief  Executive  and  to  the  representative  of  the 
district  in  which  each  Council  was  located.  The  encouragement 
felt  by  the  government  was  graciously  acknowledged  by  the 
President. 

Certainly,  this  prompt  reassurance  from  a  well-organized 
society  of  representative  citizens  could  not  have  failed  to  console 
those  directing  the  nation  in  its  grave  crisis.  The  men  who  voiced 
their  conviction  in  these  resolutions  were  employing  no  super- 
fluous rhetoric,  but  speaking  with  the  sincerity  of  patriotic  citi- 
zens, lifting  up  their  voices  and  taking  their  stand  at  a  time  when 
every  declaration  of  loyalty  and  every  citizen  acclaiming  the  ban- 
ner of  the  Republic  added  strength  to  the  moral  and  physical  force 
our  country  could  place  in  the  balance  against  the  empire  that 
challenged  her  sovereignty. 

It  is  an  eloquent  testimony  to  the  democracy  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  as  an  organization  that,  although  the  thought  and  feel- 
ing of  the  Supreme  Officers  of  the  Order  were  one  with  those  of 
the  rank  and  file,  yet  the  rank  and  file  gave  expression  to  its 
sentiments  quite  independently  of  the  governing  body. 

In  fact,  the  patriotic  voice  of  Columbianism  gathered  volume 
from  the  lower  but  no  less  sincere  voices  of  the  subordinate  coun- 
cils, reached  its  highest  pitch  in  the  declaration  of  the  Supreme 
Board  of  Directors  contained  in  a  resolution  passed  at  its  first 
war  meeting,  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  April,  1917  —  one  week 
after  the  final  break  with  the  Central  Powers. 

"  The  Supreme  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus," ran  this  resolution,  ''  at  a  meeting  held  this  14th  day  of 
April,  1917,  in  the  city  of  Washington,  realizing  that  the  crisis 
confronting  our  country  calls   for  the  active  co-operation  and 


216      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

patriotic  zeal  of  every  true  citizen,  hereby  reaffirms  the  patriotic 
devotion  of  400,000  members  of  this  Order  in  this  country  to  our 
RepubHc  and  its  laws,  and  pledges  their  continued  and  uncondi- 
tional support  of  the  President  and  the  Congress  of  this  Nation 
in  their  determination  to  protect  its  honor  and  its  ideals  of  human- 
ity and  right." 

In  accordance  with  a  subjoined  resolution  a  copy  was  sent  to 
the  President  and  to  the  Houses  of  Congress.  Supreme  Knight 
James  A.  Flaherty  again  conveyed  the  content  of  these  resolu- 
tions to  the  President  in  a  letter  dated  April  17,  and  the  President, 
absorbed  though  he  was  by  the  urge  of  action  following  the 
country's  plunge  into  the  world  war,  acknowledged  the  Supreme 
Knight's  letter  by  a  note  dated  April  18  in  which  he  said:  ''  I 
thank  you  very  warmly  for  your  generous  letter  of  April  17th. 
May  I  not  ask  you  to  convey  to  the  members  of  your  organization 
my  genuine  appreciation  of  this  assurance  of  confidence  and  sup- 
port?   It  is,  indeed,  most  enheartening." 

With  this  crystalization  of  the  patriotism  animating  the  Order, 
it  was  obvious  that,  at  the  first  possible  opportunity,  the  word 
would  be  translated  into  the  deed.  The  Order's  spirit  was  firm 
upon  that  point  from  the  first  moment  of  the  government's 
decision  to  make  war.  But  in  those  eventful  weeks  immediately 
following  our  entry  into  the  conflict,  results  followed  each  other 
so  rapidly  that  it  was  necessary  for  those  guiding  the  destinies 
of  the  Order  to  take  serious  thought  as  to  how  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  could  serve  the  nation,  as  a  unit,  most  effectively. 

The  same  phenomenon  witnessed  during  the  Mexican  border 
trouble  appeared  with  the  first  call  to  arms  in  the  War.  Catholic 
young  men  by  the  tens  of  thousands  stepped  forward  to  fight 
their  country's  battles.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
was  in  the  field,  with  full  governmental  approval,  to  render  reli- 
gious and  other  aid  to  soldiers  and  sailors.  The  very  principles 
of  the  reformed  religion  of  the  strictest  evangelical  type  on  which 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  founded  forced  its  officers,  if  they  were  con- 
sistent, to  hold  in  their  hearts  a  feeling  that  the  principles  of 
the  Catholic  Church  were  antagonistic  to  their  most  cherished 


Decision  for  Work  in  the  War  217 

beliefs.  American  Catholics  accepted  this.  They  knew  perfectly- 
well  that,  while  the  constitution  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  excluded  them 
from  any  essential  part  in  its  activity,  yet  they  were  welcome  to 
participate,  under  certain  conditions,  in  all  the  material  advan- 
tages that  this  association  offered.  But  their  conviction  was 
fixed,  in  fact  it  was  an  integral  part  of  their  spiritual  life  that 
mere  preaching  and  private  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  no  matter 
how  enthusiastically  and  devoutly  this  was  done,  could  not  satisfy 
the  spiritual  needs  of  Catholic  soldiers. 

Even  if  the  rules  of  the  Catholic  Church  had  permitted  its 
adherents  to  accept  the  tenets  of  Protestantism  as  denoted  in  reli- 
gious services,  the  essential  spirit  of  which  implied  a  protest  against 
the  most  important  dogmas  which  Catholics  accept  unquestion- 
ingly,  the  sincere  and  almost  passionate  evangelical  services  could 
have  no  comfort  and  no  healing  power  for  men  who  had  been 
brought  up  to  the  splendid  traditions  of  Catholic  worship.  The 
American  soldier  did  not  care  to  be  questioned  as  to  his  religious 
belief  nor  to  be  noted  by  some  of  the  over-zealous  officials  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  as  a  brand  plucked  from  the  burning;  and  yet  the 
sincere  member  of  this  association  who  felt  that  he  was  an  apostle 
of  his  form  of  Christianity  even  more  than  a  paid  secretary  could 
hardly  refrain  from  putting  his  conception  of  the  spiritual  need 
of  the  soldiers  above  even  their  temporal  requirements. 

The  statistics,  which  are  in  progress  and  being  gathered,  show- 
ing the  contributions  of  Catholics  to  the  support  of  the  Govern- 
ment, seem  almost  incredible  when  one  considers  the  proportion 
of  Catholics  to  the  population  of  the  United  States.  It  was  to  be 
expected  that  the  Army  and  Navy  would  be  largely  Catholic,  not 
only  because  of  the  intense  spirit  of  patriotism  which  their 
Church  inculcates,  but  because,  as  army  surgeons  testify,  the 
young  Catholics  passed,  almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  medical 
examination  which,  in  the  beginning,  was  extremely  severe.  But 
that  the  families  of  these  men,  many  of  whom  relied  on  them  for 
support,  should  have  cheerfully  made  such  remarkable  sacrifices 
of  money  which,  in  some  cases,  seemed  badly  required  for  imme- 
diate wants,  makes  a  remarkable  paragraph  in  the  history  of 
the  war. 


218      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  problem  became  pressing  —  what  could  and  should  be  done 
for  the  Catholic  men  ?  But  while  this  problem  was  being  debated, 
while  the  executives  of  the  Order  were  considering  the  best  way 
in  which  it  could  help,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  not  idle 
witnesses  of  the  historic  happenings  of  the  day.  Not  only  did 
the  younger  members,  who  were  so  circumstanced  that  they  could 
do  so,  instantly  volunteer  for  active  service,  but  the  large  body  of 
membership,  through  the  different  councils  and  chapters,  entered 
zealously  into  the  Liberty  Loan  campaign,  subscribing  to  the 
utmost  of  their  means,  not  only  privately,  but  in  their  collective 
capacity  as  councils. 

The  Board  of  Directors  had  smoothed  the  path  to  enlistment 
of  hundreds  of  members  by  voting,  at  its  meeting  on  April  15-16 
in  Washington,  ''  that  until  further  action  of  this  Board,  the  dis- 
ability of  soldiers  and  sailors  as  extra-hazardous  risks  be  removed 
as  regards  all  present  insured  members  of  the  Order  who  may 
now  or  hereafter  bear  arms  on  behalf  of  the  United  States  during 
the  present  war."  This  was  a  repetition  of  the  action  taken  by 
the  Board  in  February,  1898,  for  the  benefit  of  members  enlisting 
in  the  country's  service  for  the  war  with  Spain. 

This  meant  that  hundreds  of  members  could  enlist  with  the 
comforting  knowledge  that  their  dependents  would  be  protected 
by  their  insurance  in  the  Order,  no  matter  what  adverse  fortune 
befell  them  during  their  period  of  service.  This  important  action 
was  made  possible  by  the  Order's  strong  financial  condition,  but 
even  so  involved  no  small  hazard  on  account  of  its  determina- 
tion to  do  its  utmost  towards  winning  the  war.  The  effect  was 
immediately  felt  by  the  scores  of  members  who  had  entertained 
doubts  as  to  the  validity  of  their  insurance  in  the  event  of 
enlistment. 

In  addition  to  these  demonstrations  of  devotion  to  the  Nation's 
cause,  individual  Knights  exemplified  the  Order's  spirit  by  taking 
prominent  and  personal  part  in  the  conduct  of  the  war.  Such 
men  as  Admiral  Benson,  Edward  N.  Hurley,  John  D.  Ryan  and 
others  were  of  instant  and  important  aid  to  the  Government. 
Men  eminent  both  in  the  Army  and  Navy,  members  of  the  Order, 


KNIOHET^    OF  COD 


AMD'^WAia- 


Decision  for  Work  in  the  War  219 

were  among  the  first  to  take  active  part  in  the  executive  initiation 
of  our  war-making. 

The  moot  question  of  just  what  action  should  be  taken  by  the 
Catholic  body  in  the  matter  of  religious  and  physical  welfare 
work  for  thousands  of  men  in  the  service  reached  a  point  where 
an  answer  could  not  be  denied.  The  Knights,  in  their  successful 
work  at  the  Mexican  border,  had  met  the  expense  out  of  their 
own  funds  as  a  corporate  body.  To  them  the  question  of  financ- 
ing any  work  they  might  undertake  was  necessarily  serious.  The 
general  fund  of  the  Order,  the  fund  that  had  supported  the  Mexi- 
can work,  could  not,  it  was  felt,  be  equal  to  the  more  ambitious 
task. 

But  precious  time  was  flying,  and  nothing  had  been  done  by 
the  Catholics  to  help  their  co-religionists  in  the  service.  Action 
was  most  imperative  if  the  faith  and  morals  and  need  of  spiritual 
consolation  and  support  of  these  men,  so  important  a  part  of  the 
nation's  fighting  forces,  were  to  be  assured.  So  the  aspirations 
of  American  Catholics  were  translated  into  action  when,  at  the 
Board  of  Directors  meetings  in  Detroit  on  June  24-25,  a  vote  was 
passed  unanimously  ratifying  an  appeal  made  by  the  Supreme 
Officers  of  the  Order  shortly  before  for  a  million  dollar  fund  to 
be  known  as  the  "  Knights  of  Columbus  War  Camp  Fund  "  and 
to  be  expended  on  religious  and  recreational  work  for  all  men  in 
the  service. 

The  vote  in  full,  the  most  important  decision  ever  taken  by  the 
Board  of  Directors  because  of  the  huge  consequences  it  entailed, 
follows : 

Voted,  that  the  action  of  the  Supreme  Officers  in  issuing  an  appeal  for 
one  million  dollars  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus  War  Camp  Fund  be 
approved  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Voted,  that  in  issuing  the  appeal  for  one  million  dollars  to  assist  spirit- 
ually and  socially  the  American  Army  and  Navy,  the  Board  of  Directors 
does  not  intend  to  include  the  brothers  in  Canada,  well  knowing  the  burdens 
they  have  already  assumed  and  the  many  good  works  they  are  already  doing 
for  the  Canadian  brothers  engaged  in  the  war. 

Voted,  in  connection  with  the  appeal  issued  by  the  Supreme  Officers 
to  raise  a  fund  of  one  million  dollars  for  war  purposes,  the  Board  of 
Directors  hereby  levies  on  the  membership  in  the  United  States  a  per  capita 


220     The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

tax  of  two  dollars.     This  amount  must  be  paid  by  the  members  within 
thirty  days  and  by  councils  within  forty  days. 

Voted,  that  the  week  commencing  July  22nd  is  hereby  designated  by  the 
Board  of  Directors  as  campaign  week  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Million 
Dollar  War  Fund.  Grand  Knights  are  hereby  directed  to  appoint  com- 
mittees and  teams  to  personally  visit  and  solicit  all  Catholic  people  for  con- 
tributions and  all  members  of  the  Order  for  donations  in  addition  to  the 
two  dollars  assessment  levied  by  the  Board. 

Thus  the  great  step  was  taken.  The  Order,  as  the  one  Catholic 
agency  in  America  best  equipped  to  do  so,  was  committed  to  the 
huge  undertaking  of  relief  work  in  the  most  terrible  of  all  wars. 
The  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  instantly  applauded ; 
the  prompt  response  of  the  membership  of  the  Order  in  terms  of 
hard  cash  was  the  best  and  most  satisfying  expression  of  that 
applause.  In  the  highest  ecclesiastical  and  governmental  circles 
this  action  was  welcomed.  Cardinal  Gibbons,  Cardinal  Farley 
and  Cardinal  O'Connell  pronounced  Godspeed  on  the  work,  and 
archbishops,  bishops  and  priests  throughout  the  country  gave  it 
their  heartiest  blessing  and  support.  From  the  office  of  the 
Chairman  of  the  War  Department's  Commission  on  Training 
Activities  —  the  body  exercising  full  control  over  all  welfare 
work  for  the  men  in  the  service,  outside  of  that  performed  by  the 
Red  Cross,  there  w^as  issued  on  June  21,  less  than  a  week  after 
the  vote  taken  by  the  Board,  a  letter  of  cordial  welcome  to  the 
work,  a  letter  which,  in  the  words  of  Supreme  Advocate  Pelletier, 
stands  as  the  patent  issued  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  for  their 
important  undertaking: 

Washington,  D.  C. 

June  21,   1917. 
Mr.  James  A.  Flaherty, 

Supreme  Knight,  Knights  of  Columbus, 
New  Haven,  Connecticut. 

My  dear  Mr.  Flaherty  : 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities  held 
June  19th,  it  was  unanimously  voted  to  recommend  to  the  Secretary  of 
War  the  acceptance  of  the  generous  proposition  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
of  June  13th,  in  regard  to  the  erection  of  buildings  for  social  purposes  in 


Decision  for  Work  in  the  War  221 

the  army  training  camps  in  the  United  States.  Secretary  Baker  yesterday 
indicated  his  agreement  with  our  resolution,  and  I  understand  that  word  has 
already  been  sent  to  the  officials  of  your  organization. 

May  I  take  this  opportunity  to  express  for  the  Commission  on  Training 
Camp  Activities  our  appreciation  of  this  offer  by  your  organization? 
Many  of  the  training  camps  will  contain  from  forty  to  sixty  thousand 
men ;  indeed,  they  will  be  sizable  cities  in  themselves,  and  the  need  for 
social  and  relaxational  facilities  is  going  to  tax  the  effort  of  all  those  of  us 
who  are  interested  in  providing  a  sane,  well-rounded  life  for  the  men  in 
the  camps.  May  I  say,  too,  that  we  welcome  the  strong  position  which 
your  organization  has  always  taken  in  regard  to  the  moral  hazards  sur- 
rounding a  young  man's  life,  and  I  am  confident  that  your  influence  in  the 
camps  will  add  much  to  their  general  tone. 

We  shall  be  very  glad  to  co-operate  with  you  in  every  way  possible,  and 
we  sincerely  trust  that  success  will  follow  your  efforts  to  raise  the  money 
necessary  to  prosecute  your  work. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 
Raymond  B.  Fosdick,  Chairman. 

Thus  were  the  Knights  of  Columbus  officially  recognized  by  the 
Government  as  an  agency  for  war  relief  work  —  the  recognition 
not  being  based  upon  their  plans  or  promises,  but  upon  official 
knowledge  that  their  past  achievements  rendered  their  influence 
in  the  camps  highly  desirable. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  FIRST  WAR  FUND  CAMPAIGN 

AN  incident  of  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in 
Detroit,  June,  1917,  when  the  step  into  reHef  work  was 
officially  taken,  illustrates  admirably  the  spirit  animating 
the  organization  when  confronted  with  great  issues.  The  news 
had  been  published  regarding  the  per  capita  tax  levied  by  the 
board  on  the  membership  in  the  United  States.  A  delegation 
from  Bay  City  Council  visited  the  hotel  in  which  the  board  was 
meeting,  requested  and  obtained  an  audience.  In  serious  mien 
they  inquired  whether,  if  members  refused  to  submit  to  the  tax 
they  could  be  lawfully  suspended.  The  question  was  gravely 
considered,  and  an  answer  was  about  to  be  submitted  with  equal 
gravity  when  the  delegation,  through  its  spokesman,  informed 
the  board  that  the  Bay  City  Council  had,  on  the  previous  evening, 
adopted  a  resolution  to  raise,  within  twenty-four  hours,  one  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  fund,  this  sum  representing  the  two  dollars 
per  capita  tax  on  the  council  according  to  the  vote  of  the  board. 

The  spirit  manifested  by  this  incident  typified  that  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  internal  campaign  for  funds,  and,  so  infec- 
tious did  it  become,  that  when  the  campaign  was  extended  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  Order,  to  the  Catholic  public  and  thence  to  the 
general  public,  similar  generosity  was  displayed.  Eagerness  to 
serve  was  the  dominant  motive  of  American  patriotism.  With- 
out this  desire  to  render  aid  in  the  cause,  without  what  has  been 
well  termed  the  "  white-hot  patriotism  "  of  the  people,  neither 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  war  work  nor  the  entire  effort  of  the 
nation  could  have  reached  anything  like  the  amazing  proportions 
and  effectiveness  they  did. 

Yet,  although  the  Order's  determination  was  unanimous  and 
every  member  was  alert  to  catch  a  hint  of  the  part  he  should  play 
in  the  undertaking,  the  vista  was  not  totally  clear.  Viewing 
events  today  with  the  haze  cleared  away  and  the  steps  of  progress 
towards  the  results  definitely  marked,  the  observer  is  impressed 

[222] 


The  First  War  Fund  Campaign  223 

by  the  strange  combination  of  boldness  and  conservatism  with 
which  the  Knights  adapted  themselves  to  the  demands  of  war 
work. 

There  could  be  no  guarantees  for  them,  so  far  as  financial  sup- 
port was  concerned.  They  could  rely,  it  is  true,  upon  taxing  their 
members  and  on  patriotic  gifts  above  the  tax  by  individual  mem- 
bers or  councils;  but  there  was  naturally  a  limit  to  this.  With 
the  cordial  endorsement  of  the  hierarchy  they  could  appeal  to  the 
Catholic  public.  But  even  this  process  of  fund-raising  had 
obvious  limitations.  To  the  general  public  they  were  compara- 
tively unknown  as  a  war  relief  organization.  Their  work  at  the 
Mexican  border,  although  of  large  proportions  and  effective,  had 
not  achieved  much  fame  beyond  the  men  served  and  the  Catholic 
public,  for  the  Knights  had  no  organized  publicity  bureau.  Before 
any  productive  publicity  could  be  obtained  it  was  necessary  to 
accomplish  work  on  a  scale  that  would  attract  the  notice  of  the 
press.  This  the  Knights  proceeded  to  do,  while  at  the  same  time 
developing  to  the  utmost  their  internal  resources. 

The  blessing  of  a  small  but  highly  efficient  headquarters  staff 
was  brought  home  to  everybody  conversant  with  the  management 
of  the  organization,  from  the  very  outset.  Every  nook  and  corner 
of  Columbianism  was  known  to  Supreme  Secretary  William  J. 
McGinley  of  New  York.  His  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
leaders  of  the  Order  in  every  section  was  well  utilized,  so  that, 
if  a  rather  trite  phrase  may  be  employed,  the  initial  campaign  of 
the  Knights  of  Colunrbus,  a  campaign  for  a  campaign,  was  done 
on  a  mail  order  basis.  Chairman  P.  H.  Callahan  of  the  War 
Activities  Committee,  his  colleagues,  and  the  war  work  staff 
proceeded,  with  an  energy  that  was  very  effective,  to  solve  the 
complicated  problem  of  building,  equipping  and  operating  canton- 
ment huts  while  the  Order's  headquarters  at  New  Haven  directed 
the  preliminary  drive  for  funds. 

This  was  no  nation-wide,  intensive  drive  as  we  have  come  to 
understand  the  term  after  the  periodic  campaigns  of  war  and 
post-war  times.  It  was  a  cumulative  drive.  The  wise  decision 
had  been  made  to  conduct  the  drives  in  different  states  at  different 


224      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

times,  when  the  state  leaders  of  the  Order  considered  them  pro- 
pitious. There  were  abundant  reasons  for  this,  the  chief  being 
that  the  different  states  had  ah-eady  been  visited  or  were  about 
to  be  visited  by  drives  for  other  funds,  for  the  Red  Cross,  the 
Y.  M  C.  A.  and  similar  organizations  then  enjoying  a  greater 
repute  and  prestige  than  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  Drives  for 
government  loans  were  also  progressing,  and  in  these  drives  for  the 
government  and  the  Red  Cross  the  Knights  of  Columbus  played 
a  prominent  part.  The  chief  factor  in  the  Order's  money  gather- 
ing was  a  certain  strategy  of  patience,  which  they  exercised  to 
perfection.  In  fact,  the  organization's  attitude  was  one  of  com- 
mendable diffidence. 

If,  in  the  midsummer  of  1917,  when  their  relief  work  in  the 
home  encampments  was  well  established  and  earning  encomiums 
from  all  who  benefited  by  it,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had  gone 
before  the  public  with  a  plain  request  for  ten  million  dollars,  there 
is  sufficient  reason  in  the  final  results  to  support  the  speculation 
that  they  would  have  received  it  and  more.  But  the  atmosphere 
in  which  they  were  operating  was  wholly  new  to  the  Knights. 
Their  experience  at  the  Mexican  border,  it  is  true,  had  taught 
them  much,  particularly  concerning  the  technical  side  of  their 
new  work  —  the  requirements  for  buildings  and  for  the  personnel 
to  be  placed  in  charge  of  buildings,  etc.  But  the  work  at  the 
border  was  not  fought  through  in  the  electric  atmosphere  of 
actual  warfare.  The  country  had  accepted  the  military  venture 
at  the  Mexican  border  as  a  calm  national  gesture.  The  nation 
was  intensely  nervous  throughout  the  months  of  the  w^ar  as  its 
spirit  was  really  being  put  to  the  test.  The  Knights  of  Columbus, 
in  common  with  all  other  war  service  organizations,  in  common, 
even,  with  the  Government  itself,  was  obliged  to  consider  this 
nervousness  as  a  phase  of  awakening  in  which  the  nation  was 
endeavoring  to  find  itself.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  Knights  to  dis- 
pose of  their  resources  as  transformed  into  war  relief  com- 
modities, so  that  the  nation  would  recognize  their  utility  and  make 
use  of  them  as  an  agency  towards  the  gaining  of  victory. 


The  First  War  Fund  Campaign  225 

Plain  spoken  as  they  were,  there  was  yet  an  explanatory  note 
in  the  first  appeals  for  funds  issued  by  the  Knights.  To  under- 
stand this  we  must  remember  the  public's  unf  amiliarity  with  them 
as  an  organization  engaged  in  welfare  service.  It  must  also  be 
remembered  that  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  held  a 
distinct  advantage  over  the  Knights  in  the  matter  of  war  relief 
work.  This  was  chiefly  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was 
already  an  established  relief  agency  with  all  the  armies  in  the 
war  previous  to  American  participation.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had 
also  received  promptly  the  fullest  moral  and  material  aid  from 
the  Government.  President  Wilson  even  issued  a  long  formal 
order  definitely  attaching  the  Y.  M  C.  A.  as  a  civilian  war  agency 
to  be  fully  recognized  by  the  military  authorities. 

With  strong  official  sponsorship  and  protection  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
was  not  under  the  obligation  of  explaining  itself  to  the  public. 
This,  the  Knights  were  obliged  to  do  and  it  must  be  said  that  they 
did  it  with  a  dignity  which,  supported  by  their  admirable  work  in 
the  camps,  won  recognition.  Replying  to  the  query:  "  Why  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  War  Fund?"  the  Order,  in  its  principal 
campaign  pamphlet  issued  in  November,  1917,  replied: 

There  was  need  for  some  national  Catholic  lay  body  to  take  up  this 
work.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  are  particularly  fitted  for  the  work, 
having  established  and  maintained  sixteen  recreation  stations  along  the 
Mexican  border  for  the  men  of  the  National  Guard,  which  work  received 
commendation  from  the  military  authorities. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  have  been  designated  by  the  War  Department 
of  the  Government  as  the  official  agency  for  all  Catholic  activity  for  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  as  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  been  similarly  designated  as 
the  official  agency  for  all  Protestant  activity.  Every  privilege  and 
facility  afforded  by  the  government  to  the  latter  organization  has  been 
granted  to  us. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  war  fund  has  the  hearty  endorsement  of  the 
three  American  Cardinals  and  the  hierarchy  of  the  country  without  excep- 
tion, many  of  them  having  contributed  financial  support. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  work  received  the  warm  approval  of  the 
Catholic  Congress  recently  held  in  Washington,  D.  C,  composed  of  repre- 
sentatives of  the  bishops  of  the  United  States  and  also  of  representatives 
of  other  Catholic  societies. 


226      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

These  were  the  credentials  presented  by  the  Knights  to  the 
public  whose  support  they  sought  to  enlist.  The  conservatism 
of  their  attitude  is  illustrated  by  this  appeal,  addressed  to  those 
who  knew  them  best.  It  had  succeeded  remarkably  well  with  the 
Catholics  of  the  country  before  the  Knights,  supplementing  it 
with  testimonials  from  all  sides,  addressed  it  to  the  general 
public. 

Of  course,  the  Order's  title  to  represent  American  Catholics 
was  established  by  strong  endorsements  from  the  bishops.  These 
have  lost  none  of  their  force  with  the  passing  of  time,  and  they 
illustrate  how,  in  the  eyes  of  the  leaders  of  the  Church,  the 
Knights  had  stepped  into  a  great  breach. 

"  I  congratulate  you,"  wrote  Cardinal  Gibbons  to  the  Supreme 
Officers,  "  upon  the  noble  work  towards  which  you  and  the  other 
members  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  devoted  their  earnest 
efforts,  in  planning  to  co-operate  so  extensively  with  our  Govern- 
ment in  caring  for  the  temporal  and  spiritual  wants  of  the 
soldiers,  regardless  of  their  creed  or  membership  in  your  Order." 
"  Chaplains  with  whom  I  have  had  occasion  to  speak,''  wrote 
Cardinal  Farley,  "  have  praised  in  most  glowing  terms  the  success 
of  your  labors  for  the  troops  on  the  Mexican  border  last  year.  I 
congratulate  you  for  this,  and  wish  the  new  venture  the  success  it 
deserves  to  have.  I  pray  God  to  bless  you  and  your  Order.'* 
And  Cardinal  O'Connell  tersely  expressed  his  interest  in  the 
words :  ''  You  have  my  blessing  and  cordial  best  wishes."  "  I 
beg  to  assure  you,"  wrote  His  Excellency  Archbishop  John  Bon- 
zano,  the  Apostolic  Delegate,  "  that  I  highly  admire  the  noble 
work  you  have  undertaken." 

Archbishop  Ireland  of  St.  Paul,  one  of  the  most  illustrious  of 
Americans,  promptly  came  to  the  support  of  the  Knights  in  their 
work.  ''  I  congratulate  the  Knights  of  Columbus  upon  their  noble 
act,"  he  said,  "  It  is  the  solemn  duty  of  Catholics  to  do  all  they 
can  in  aid  of  their  fellows  who  are  offering  their  very  lives  to 
the  service  of  the  nation.  Each  Knight  of  Columbus  will,  of 
course,  do  his  duty.  Furthermore,  T  will  ask  all  Catholics  not 
members  of  the  Order  to  co-operate  with  the  Knights.     As  a 


The  First  War  Fund  Campaign  227 

token  of  my  good  will,  I  ask  that  you  put  me  down  for  a  personal 
contribution."  Archbishop  Moeller  of  Cincinnati  declared  that 
this  was  "  a  splendid  and  important  work,"  and  Archbishop  Harty 
of  Omaha  said,  "  I  commend  your  good  work,  so  nobly  done," 
while  Bishop  Shahan,  Rector  of  the  Catholic  University,  described 
it  as  "  a  very  noble  and  meritorious  action  on  the  part  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus." 

The  prelates  of  the  Church  in  America  spoke  for  the  Knights, 
encouraging  them  when  they  needed  encouragement.  The 
Catholic  press  was  no  less  cordial  and  persevering  in  its  support, 
the  keynote  being  sounded  by  the  editor  of  America,  who  said: 
''For  once  a  Catholic  organization  is  able  to  enter  a  field  of 
service  on  absolutely  equal  terms  with  its  Protestant  competitor 
in  the  same  field.  The  United  States  Government,  which  recently 
gave  official  status  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  has  now  given  the  same 
status  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  whose  activity  will  be  looked 
upon  by  the  government  as  the  official  activity  of  the  Catholic 
Church  in  America." 

It  can  truly  be  stated  that  never  before  had  any  American  lay 
activity  been  so  heartily  welcomed  by  the  Church  authorities. 
Non-Catholics  cannot  readily  appreciate  the  significance  of  the 
unique  nature  of  this  declaration  of  confidence  and  support  by 
the  hierarchy.  The  idea  that  Catholic  Church  authorities  give 
their  support  to  all  public  activities  even  of  apparent  benevolence 
undertaken  by  Catholics  is  quite  erroneous.  It  is  most  difficult 
to  obtain  the  official  approval  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  public 
matters,  for  that  approval  carries  with  it  a  guarantee  that  the 
objects  and  methods  so  approved  have  been  scrupulously  exam- 
ined from  every  angle. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  had  the  unanimous  support  of  the 
Catholic  clergy  of  all  ranks.  Whatever  people  of  dififerent 
religious  denominations  in  the  United  States  may  hold  to  the  con- 
trary, the  hierarchy  of  the  Catholic  Church,  unless  the  question 
at  issue  be  one  clearly  cut  of  faith  or  morals,  does  not  state 
opinions  and  prescribe  courses.  There  is  a  rooted  dislike  founded 
on  traditions  as  old  as  those  which  existed  even  before  the  fateful 


228      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

struggle  between  the  Popes  and  the  Emperors,  to  the  administra- 
tion by  priests  of  moneys  contributed  by  the  general  public. 

With  the  heads  of  dioceses  and  parish  priests  in  towns  and 
rural  districts  where  drives  were  held  supporting  the  Knights 
and  exhorting  their  people  to  support  them,  contributions  came 
in  rapidly.  Subordinate  Councils  emulated  one  another  in  striv- 
ing to  be  first  to  reach  headquarters  at  New  Haven  with  their 
completed  quotas  of  the  per  capita  tax,  invariably  exceeded  by 
the  bulk  subscriptions  of  the  council.  Parishes  vied  with  one 
another  to  send  in  the  largest  proportional  gifts. 

In  each  state  where  a  drive  was  conducted  the  State  Deputy 
led  the  drive,  and  the  councils  formed  committees  of  men  and 
women  very  often  including  representative  persons  of  other 
religious  affiliations  in  the  community.  In  New  Hampshire  a 
local  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Secretary  took  an  important  part  in  the  drive, 
reciprocating  some  of  the  assistance  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
had  rendered  during  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  drive.  Without  anything 
like  nationally  organized  publicity,  editorials  from  the  Order's 
official  publication  TJie  Colnmbiad,  and  fragmentary  literature 
produced  by  headquarters  at  New  Haven,  serving  as  the  prin- 
cipal campaign  ammunition,  the  Knights  suddenly  discovered  that 
they  had  begun  to  win  the  hearts  of  the  people.  x\s  the  days  and 
weeks  passed  thousands  of  letters  were  received  in  Catholic  and 
non-Catholic  homes  written  upon  Knights  of  Columbus  stationery 
and  expressing  heartfelt  gratitude  for  the  comfort  and  hospitality 
extended  by  the  Knights  to  all  who  entered  their  camp  buildings. 
Many  of  these  letters  found  their  way  into  print.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  they  were  strictly  news,  for  little,  if  anything,  of  this 
nature  had  been  published  before  concerning  the  Knights  of 
Columbus.  Editorials  were  written  by  men  who  had  no  interest 
in  the  Knights  other  than  the  conviction,  from  evidence  gathered 
independently,  that  they  were  an  agency  for  keeping  fit  the  young 
men  whose  job  it  was  to  win  the  war.  The  reflection  arises  that, 
with  an  intensive  advertising  campaign,  the  Knights  could  have 
collected  many  times  the  amount  of  money  they  received  in  their 
first  admittedly  unscientific  attempt  at  a  drive. 


The  First  War  Fund  Campaign  229 

From  state  to  state  the  flames  of  enthusiasm  spread.  Men  of 
national  repute  became  interested  in  the  cause.  WiUiam  Jennings 
Bryan,  in  a  chance  meeting  with  Chairman  P.  H.  Callahan, 
in  Louisville,  spoke  of  the  drive  and  inquired  whether  sub- 
scriptions were  restricted  to  Catholics.  He  was  truthfully  told 
that  Catholics  had  subscribed  generously  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  drive 
for  funds  and  that  the  Knights  would  welcome  subscriptions 
from  all  interested  in  the  welfare  of  men  in  the  country's  service, 
as  they  were  all  being  served  regardless  of  creed  or  race. 
Colonel  Bryan  promptly  desired  to  be  entered  as  a  monthly 
contributor  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  fund.  Colonel  Theodore 
Roosevelt  was  very  much  interested  in  the  personnel  of  the  secre- 
taries the  Knights  were  enlisting.  He  expressed  himself  highly 
pleased  with  the  selection  of  men  who  would  encourage  manly 
sports  among  the  soldiers  and  in  one  or  two  instances  he  signi- 
fied his  interest  in  special  appointments  because  of  the  straight- 
forward character  of  the  candidates.  On  all  occasions,  especially 
at  a  luncheon  at  the  Harvard  Club,  not  long  before  his  death,  he 
emphatically  complimented  the  very  human  and  broad-minded 
position  which  the  Knights  of  Columbus  took  towards  the  soldiers 
of  all  creeds.  "  These  good  Americans,"  he  said,  "  look  after  the 
improvement  of  the  human  quality  first  and  have  a  tolerance  of 
defects  when  they  are  not  mean  or  unmanly." 

From  men  of  all  classes  and  creeds,  all  over  the  country  what  is 
more  correctly  termed  credit  than  praise  was  given  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.  From  their  pulpits,  non-Catholic  clergymen 
bespoke  the  generosity  of  their  congregation  towards  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  War  Fund.  This  feature  of  the  drive,  a  symptom 
of  the  American  spirit  in  time  of  war,  was  best  exemplified  in 
Pontiac,  Michigan,  where  the  Reverend  Russel  H.  Bready,  pastor 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  said:  "  I  am  heartily  in  favor  of 
Catholic  work  among  the  soldiers  in  the  camps,  as  they  require  as 
much  of  their  normal  home  influence  about  them  as  possible." 
Another  illustration  of  non-Catholic  support  of  the  work  of  the 
Knights  came  to  light  when  the  Reverend  x\rthur  D.  Klontz, 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Polo,  Illinois,  sent  a 
i6 


230      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

check  for  $276.75  to  Headquarters  in  New  Haven,  stating  that 
the  money  had  been  collected  in  Polo  for  their  war  fund. 

By  the  late  autumn  of  1917,  so  successful  had  been  the  cam- 
paign for  funds,  that  the  Knights  were  able  to  send  their  first  Over- 
seas Commissioner,  Walter  N.  Kernan  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  son  of 
former  United  States  Senator  Kernan,  to  France,  supported  by 
the  knowledge  that  the  American  public  was  disposed  to  heed 
seriously  the  call  made  by  the  Order  upon  its  purse,  for  at  that 
time  the  Knights  of  Columbus  initial  goal  of  three  million  dollars 
had  been  surpassed. 

Archbishop  Glennon  of  St.  Louis  had,  with  prophetic  vision,, 
telegraphed  the  Supreme  Council  in  Chicago  in  the  first  week  of 
August,  1917,  to  make  the  campaign  goal  not  less  than  $7,500,000. 
The  convention  had  deemed  the  lesser  sum  of  $3,000,000  a  more 
likely  aim.  In  December,  1918,  the  official  journal  had  carried 
page  after  page  of  small  print  of  acknowledgments  of  contribu- 
tions to  the  fund,  and  these  pages  continued  to  be  printed,  despite 
the  fact  that  drives  for  government  loans  and  the  Red  Cross 
added  to  the  drain  on  the  public  purse. 

Yet,  with  the  original  quota  of  $1,000,000  multiplied  more  than 
six  times,  and  the  official  quota  of  $3,000,000  more  than  doubled, 
early  in  1918  the  Knights  found  their  fund  still  growing.  The 
richest  areas  were  yet  untouched.  New  Jersey,  Massachusetts 
and  New  York  had  not  been  appealed  to  beyond  the  official  con- 
tribution from  each  Knights  of  Columbus  council  in  those 
jurisdictions. 

In  California  a  magnificent  response  had  been  made,  over 
$300,000  coming  from  San  Francisco  alone.  Illinois  had  given 
over  $700,000.  Everywhere  the  story  had  been  told  of  quotas 
largely  exceeded.  John  McCormack,  one  of  the  first  of  lyric 
tenors  whose  fame  is  universal,  offered  his  voice  to  aid  the  cause 
—  raising  over  $50,000  in  four  concerts  given  in  Washington  and 
other  cities. 

The  culmination  of  the  first  drive  came  in  New  Jersey  and 
New  York.  In  New  Jersey  a  surprising  record  was  made.  There 
a  quota  of  $80,000  had  been  set.     When  all  payments  were 


The  First  War  Fund  Campaign  231 

received  it  was  found  that  no  less  than  $700,000  —  in  fact,  much 
more  than  this  sum  had  been  collected.  Perhaps  the  most  notable 
drives  were  those  in  Pittsburgh  and  Detroit,  which  cities  not 
only  contributed  surprisingly  large  sums  but  gave  the  country 
its  first  demonstration  of  the  immense  and  enthusiastic  public 
support  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Of  substantial  aid  to  the  Knights,  enabling  them  to  obtain  sup- 
port from  communities  without  conducting  campaigns,  were  the 
sums  they  received  upon  application  to  many  of  the  hundreds  of 
committees  in  charge  of  war  chest  funds  of  communities  that  had 
adopted  this  method  of  raising  war  relief  money  —  to  obtain 
maximum  results  with  minimum  appeals.  Cleveland,  Philadel- 
phia, Cincinnati  and  other  cities  of  the  first  class  adopted  the 
war  chest  idea.  The  Knights  usually  had  representation  on 
these  committees,  when  they  had  been  a  factor  in  collecting  the 
funds.  But  there  were  cases  where  a  war  chest  had  been  filled 
before  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  in  their  first  unified  drive,  had 
touched  the  territory.  Springfield,  Mass.,  is  a  typical  instance. 
Here  the  Knights  followed  what  was  the  general  procedure, 
giving  every  required  piece  of  information  to  the  committee  which 
included  citizens  from  the  eight  towns  represented  in  the  war 
chest.  The  Knights'  application  for  $150,000  as  their  quota  was 
granted  by  unanimous  vote  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  it  being 
stated  that  of  twenty-seven  applications  received  the  application 
from  the  Knights  was  the  "  most  complete,  comprehensive  and 
efficiently  done." 

In  Salem,  Pittsfield,  and  other  cities,  similar  applications  met 
with  similar  success  —  all  adding  to  the  Order's  first  fund  when 
it  most  needed  replenishment  —  and  all  likewise  contributing  to 
the  mass  of  evidence  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had  become 
established  as  a  successful  agency  of  war  relief. 

In  New  York,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  great 
metropolis  that  a  thoroughly  organized  Catholic  drive  was  made, 
Cardinal  Farley  devoted  his  entire  diocese  to  the  drive.  Every 
parish  became  a  strategic  point  —  a  headquarters  for  operating 
forces,   charged   with   raising  a   certain   fixed   portion   of   the 


232      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

contemplated  total  of  $2,500,000.  This  arrangement  had  pre- 
vailed in  the  other  drives  through  the  country.  But  the  New 
York  drive,  it  can  safely  be  said,  was  more  intensive  than  all 
others.  An  expertly  waged  publicity  campaign  was  a  feature  of 
the  drive.  Men  in  all  walks  of  life  took  leading  parts.  President 
Wilson  sent  a  warm  message  of  indorsement,  and  the  Honorable 
Josephus  Daniels,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  assisted  in  person  at 
the  opening  of  the  drive  at  a  great  mass  meeting. 

The  entire  motive  of  the  drive  was  nowhere  more  admirably 
expressed  than  in  the  words  of  Mr.  William  P.  Larkin,  Overseas 
Director  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  when  he  said  that  the 
Knights  were  driving  for  money  to  keep  our  men  fit  in  warfare, 
to  give  them  their  priests  and  to  keep  them  as  clean  morally, 
mentally  and  physically  as  when  they  left  home,  so  that  they 
could  return  ''  with  eyes  clear  and  shoulders  four  square  to  the 
winds  of  heaven."  To  this  appeal  the  people  of  greater  New 
York  responded  with  their  proverbial  generosity.  When  the  final 
accounting  was  made,  instead  of  $2,500,000  over  $5,000,000  was 
the  result,  of  which  total  the  Knights  of  Columbus  proportion 
was  more  than  $3,250,000  —  the  remainder  going  to  the  National 
Catholic  War  Council.  Bishop,  later  Archbishop,  Patrick  J. 
Hayes  presented  Supreme  Knight  Flaherty  with  a  check  for 
$3,000,000  from  the  New  York  fund  at  the  Victory  Convention 
of  the  Knights  in  New  York,  August,  1918. 

In  brief,  the  independent  campaign  for  funds  conducted  by  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  not  in  one  simultaneous  drive  through  the 
country,  but  in  efforts  geographically  distributed  —  naturally 
weaker  by  that  fact  than  a  great,  nation-wide  collection  —  resulted 
in  over  $14,000,000.  These  figures  are  far  more  eloquent  than 
any  rhetorician  can  hope  to  make  them.  They  tell  strikingly  the 
modest  estimate  the  Knights  had  of  themselves  in  placing  their 
expectation  at  $3,000,000  and  the  valuation  the  public  put  upon 
their  work  in  giving  them  over  $14,000,000.  W^ithout  exaggera- 
tion it  was  one  of  the  most  convincing  proofs  that  our  countrymen 
place  sincerity,  honesty  and  efficiency  above  all  petty  understand- 
ings and  prejudices  when  they  are  put  to  the  test. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
RAPID  GROWTH  OF  HOME  WORK 

A  WELL-KNOWN  gentleman  of  New  York,  Mr.  James 
Byrne,  in  a  public  address  delivered  not  very  long  ago, 
referred  to  the  growth  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in 
war  work  as  being  one  of  the  most  surprising  phenomena  of  the 
war.  He  declared  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had  reached, 
within  a  few  months,  a  degree  of  effectiveness  that  would  ordi- 
narily have  taken  twenty-five  years  to  realize.  This  declaration 
is  literally  true.  The  war  provided  the  opportunity  to  test  the 
strength  of  the  Order,  to  find  out  whether  this  organization, 
founded  on  a  wise  constitution,  would  be  worthy  of  its  prosperity 
by  rising  to  do  great  things  for  the  national  cause.  In  the  mani- 
fold duties  that  faced  every  citizen  during  the  crisis,  there  would 
have  been  valid  excuse  for  the  plea  that  their  full  energies  were 
being  utilized,  that  they  ought  not  to  be  expected  to  give  extrk 
effort  furthering  the  aims  of  the  war  organization  which  the 
Knights  added  to  the  already  elaborate  machinery  working 
towards  the  common  end — the  winning  of  the  war. 

The  fact  that,  from  coast  to  coast,  from  the  Canadian  to  the 
Mexican  border,  the  American  Knights  responded,  as  their 
Canadian  brothers  had  done,  to  the  call  for  a  new  and  separate 
aid  in  addition  to  the  effort  which  each  man  was  putting  forth, 
attested  the  Order's  strength  and  confidence  in  the  administration 
responsible  for  its  affairs.  Upon  this  foundation  of  sound  laws 
conscientiously  administered  the  Knights  were  assured  success 
in  their  undertaking  so  long  as  their  merits  were  recognized  by 
the  public  and  their  coffers  replenished  as  need  arose.  From  the 
most  modest  beginnings  the  organization  progressed  from  one 
point  to  another,  from  camp  to  camp,  until  the  entire  ground  was 
covered. 

Placing  its  private  credit  at  the  public  service,  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  as  a  body  corporate,  ran  certain  risks.     Its  means 

[233I 


234      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

being  limited  compared  to  those  at  the  disposal  of  other  organi- 
zations, there  was  every  need  to  exercise  economy  in  the  placing 
of  large  contracts  for  the  materials  necessary  to  erect  and  con- 
struct buildings.  With  governmental  permission  the  Knights 
were  accorded  the  same  prices  as  the  Government  itself  received. 
This  was  a  substantial  aid  at  a  time  when  it  was  most  needed. 
With  praiseworthy  business  vision  the  executives  at  New  Haven 
conservatively  planned  their  purchases  upon  future  war  fund 
increment. 

Yet  keen  business  discernment  and  prompt  acceptance  of  what- 
ever occurred  in  the  way  of  "  bargains  "  could  not  offset  the 
handicap  of  uncertainty  that  troubled  the  Knights  in  the  first  few 
months  of  their  new  endeavor.  While  all  war  organizations,  even 
the  Government  itself,  felt  this  uncertainty  —  for  nobody,  no 
matter  how  highly  placed,  knew  how  events  might  turn  —  the 
Knights,  by  the  fact  that  their  work  was  newer  and  more  experi- 
mental were  all  the  more  affected  by  the  knowledge  that  radical 
changes  in  the  needs  they  were  attempting  to  supply,  might  take 
place  any  day. 

In  faith  they  proceeded  —  faith  in  God,  in  the  Government 
that  had  approved  their  work,  in  the  people  who  had  first  given 
it  their  support,  and  in  their  own  loyal  and  ambitious  organiza- 
tion. Their  faith  was  justified.  The  first  Knights  of  Columbus 
hut  in  connection  with  the  relief  work  of  the  war  was  dedicated 
by  Bishop  Joseph  J.  Rice  of  Burlington,  Vermont,  at  Fort  Ethan 
Allen  in  that  State.  The  hut  was  erected  from  a  fund  of  over 
$20,000  contributed  by  the  members  throughout  the  State  even 
before  they  had  made  good  their  promises  of  donations  to  the 
national  war  fund.  All  over  the  country.  State  militiamen  were 
gathering  into  camps  to  answer  the  President's  first  call  for 
volunteers  while  the  selective  service  law  was  being  enacted  and 
its  operation  devised.  In  every  State  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
were  promoting  plans  for  the  relief  of  troops  encamping  in  their 
own  or  neighboring  States.  The  Vermont  Knights  raised  their 
State  fund  and  applied  it  with  laudable  promptness.  The  open- 
ing of  their  building  in  Fort  Ethan  Allen  was  one  of  the  most 


.A  i^ 


Rapid  Growth  of  Home  Work  235 

memorable  events  of  Catholic  history  in  the  State.  The  governor 
and  other  officials,  as  well  as  men  of  high  military  command, 
attended.  Religious  ceremonies,  including  High  Mass,  were 
features  of  the  day's  events.  Addresses  were  made  in  which  the 
purpose  of  the  nation  and  the  part  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had 
undertaken  to  play  in  bringing  that  purpose  to  fruition  were 
defined  by  the  speakers.  Stephen  DriscoU,  State  Deputy  of 
Vermont,  welcomed  the  soldiers  of  all  creeds  and  colors,  in  the 
name  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  to  the  privileges  offered  by  the 
hut.  And  before  the  vast  gathering  witnessing  the  ceremonies 
and  partaking  of  them  —  one  of  the  largest  public  meetings  ever 
held  in  Vermont  —  there  stood  the  neat,  attractive  hut,  a  symbol 
of  the  homelike  atmosphere  and  fraternal  hospitality  which  the 
Knights  proposed  to  show  to  every  man  in  uniform. 

It  was  an  inspiring  occasion,  and  if  its  salient  points  are  here 
recited  in  detail  it  is  because  the  event  was  typical  of  all  other 
openings  of  Knights  of  Columbus  huts.  In  every  State  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  first  Knights  of  Columbus  hut  in  a  camp  was  the 
occasion  for  large  and  sympathetic  gatherings  of  soldiers  and 
civilians  —  these  dedications  in  themselves  were  an  effective  aid 
to  the  morale  of  the  nation  at  a  time  when  a  fixed  morale  was 
most  necessary. 

At  Fort  Benjamin  Harrison,  Indiana,  the  opening  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  hut  there,  dedicated  by  Bishop  Chartrand 
of  Indianapolis,  was  characterized  by  the  local  press  as  the  most 
imposing  Catholic  public  demonstration  in  the  State's  history. 
The  Supreme  Knight,  and  Deputy  Supreme  Knight,  the  Governor, 
the  Mayor  of  Indianapolis  and  other  officials  attended  the  cere- 
monies. At  Yaphank,  L.  I.,  at  Camp  Devens,  Mass.,  Fort  Snell- 
ing,  Minn.,  Camp  Gordon,  Ga.,  at  the  Presidio,  San  Francicco  — 
everywhere  the  record  was  the  same  —  dignitaries  of  the  Church 
and  State  and  leading  men  of  the  Order  gathered  to  express  their 
devotion  to  the  national  cause  and  demonstrate  their  appreciation 
of  the  efforts  being  made  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  form  a  collection  of  the  lasting 
impressions  made  upon  the  minds  of  the  hundreds  of  thousands 


236      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

of  people  who  attended  these  inspiring  formal  dedications.  Most 
of  the  relatives  of  the  uniformed  men,  who  stood  in  deep  ranks 
as  a  background  for  the  ceremonies,  must  have  felt  a  deep  sense 
of  gratitude  for  the  unselfish  energy  that  had  placed  the  camp 
homes  with  their  greeting  —  "Everybody  Welcome  —  Every- 
thing Free  "  (originally  painted  on  all  huts  at  home  and  over- 
seas)—  at  the  service  of  their  sons  and  brothers.  The  hut  stood 
for  exactly  what  they  would  stand  for  to  their  men  in  camp —  a 
reflection  of  home,  for  even  the  bravest  must  at  intervals  have 
felt  a  sinking  of  the  heart  when  they  thought  of  the  happy  homes 
from  which  they  were  removed.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  sec- 
retaries, wholesome,  energetic  men,  stood  as  good-natured  big 
brothers  to  the  young  lads  who  were  making  their  first  plunge 
into  the  uncertainty  of  a  new  world  from  which  they  had  every 
reason  to  expect  the  worst. 

Even  in  the  design  of  their  huts  the  Knights  contrived  to  have 
them  appear  as  redolent  of  domestic  life  as  they  possibly  could  be 
made  and  at  the  same  time  house  the  greatest  possible  number. 
For  buildings  that  were  hurriedly  erected  with  an  economy  of 
labor  the  construction  was  neat  and  substantial,  the  huts  pre- 
sented an  inviting  front,  while  the  interiors  were  genuinely  home- 
like. Following,  in  fundamentals,  the  usual  pattern  of  camp 
buildings,  they  varied  so  that  their  peculiar  points  rendered  them 
additionally  attractive  to  the  men  who  were,  naturally,  not  in 
love  with  the  buildings  in  which  they  ate  and  slept  and  carried 
on  the  work  of  everyday  military  life.  The  Knights  of  Columbus 
had  five  types  of  hut,  designated  by  numbers  indicating  size, 
rather  than  any  essential  differences  of  model.  The  huts  are  by 
now  familiar  objects;  with  their  long,  windowed  exteriors,  slop- 
ing roofs  and  odd  gables,  their  appearance  when  brightly  painted 
suggested  the  glad  welcome  of  a  cheerful  friend.  In  types  and 
materials  of  construction  provision  was  made  for  climatic 
requirements  in  different  sections  of  the  country.  In  the  North, 
tar-paper,  burlap  and  other  heat-conserving  materials  were 
employed;  in  the  South  the  generous  ventilation  of  the  buildings 
was  augmented  by  windowed  sides  —  the  windows  running  the 


Rapid  Growth  of  Home  Work  237 

full  length  of  the  building  and  hinging  outwards,  with  overhang- 
ing wooden  flaps,  permitting  ingress  of  air  and  protecting  the 
building  from  the  intense  rays  of  the  sun. 

The  roofs  were  also  utilized  for  purposes  of  ventilation,  a 
most  important  detail,  for  the  physical  health  of  the  soldier  deter- 
mined very  largely  his  outlook  on  life.  In  these  huts  he  spent 
most  of  his  leisure  hours,  so  their  sanitation  must  necessarily  be 
thorough.  Close  attention  was  paid  to  the  heating  of  the  build- 
ings. First-class  stove-heating  systems  were  installed  and  in 
some  of  the  huts  an  added  attraction  was  provided  in  the  form  of 
tiled  fireplaces  which,  surrounded  by  cushioned  wicker-chairs 
with  a  background  of  well-curtained  windows,  made  cosy  nooks 
appreciated  by  relatives  visiting  the  men.  The  floors  were  always 
made  of  hard  wood  to  permit  the  constant  passage  of  strong 
young  feet  in  equally  strong  army  boots  and  to  accommodate 
dancers  with  a  wide  area  for  their  amusement.  Of  necessary 
furnishings  there  were  the  movable  benches,  the  chaplain's  and 
secretaries'  rooms  with  beds,  washstands,  etc.,  usually  placed  at 
the  rear  and  front  wings  of  the  buildings.  At  the  rear  of  the 
typical  hut  was  the  stage,  the  dimensions  of  which  were  neces- 
sarily much  inferior  to  those  of  the  stage  in  an  ordinary  theatre. 

Back  of  the  stage,  behind  strong  wooden  curtains,  was  the  altar 
and  tabernacle  where  Mass  was  celebrated.  Usually  something 
of  the  nature  of  a  chapel  was  made  of  this  section  of  the  building, 
with  prie-dieu  and  a  statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  with  rosaries 
hung  conveniently  near  for  those  desiring  to  use  them.  In  at 
least  one  instance  the  soldier's  reluctance  in  allowing  his  piety  to 
become  known  was  taken  into  consideration  and  an  outside  door 
was  cut  for  the  men  to  enter  the  chapel  without  attracting  the 
attention  of  those  within  the  building  proper.  These  chapels 
were,  indeed,  havens  of  refuge  for  the  Catholic  boys  of  the  camps. 
Within  them  many  thousands  of  young  warriors  have  knelt 
before  the  Blessed  Sacrament  and  have  risen  from  their  prayer 
with  hearts  fortified  and  spirits  strengthened  in  determination  to 
serve  well  the  country  that  had  called  them  to  its  colors.  Here 
the  full  strength  of  the  bonds  of  religion  was  renewed  daily  to 


238      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

serve  the  soldier  in  the  most  crucial  battle  he  was  called  upon  to 
fight  —  the  battle  with  himself.  A  service  almost  as  great  was 
accomplished  through  these  chapels.  Thousands  of  our  boys  of 
indefinite  religion,  or  professing  no  creed  whatever,  were  attracted 
by  the  practical  piety  of  our  soldiers.  They  knew  that  this  piety 
was  practical,  because,  living  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  their 
Catholic  fellows,  they  could  test  it  in  the  rub  of  everyday  life. 
They  found  it  genuine,  with  the  result  that  the  general  morale 
was  greatly  strengthened. 

In  most  of  the  buildings  an  elevation  was  made  above  the 
double  entrance  doors,  sometimes  in  the  shape  of  a  little  gallery 
or  balcony,  where  moving  picture  and  lecture-lantern  machines 
could  be  erected  so  as  to  obtain  direct  and  unimpeded  focus  on 
the  screen.  There  was  a  post-ofhce  in  every  building,  where  mail 
was  held  for  delivery  and  also  collected.  Shelves  of  books  and 
racks  of  periodicals  were  always  to  be  found  near  the  post-office. 
The  hut  contained  a  player  piano  as  well  as  one  or  more 
victrolas  or  grafonolas,  with  large  cases  of  records  and  music 
rolls.  To  many  of  the  huts  annexes  were  made;  this  was  found 
necessary  to  provide  adequate  facilities  for  the  men  and  also  for 
their  visiting  friends.  As  the  huts  became  established  in  the 
soldier's  affections  his  demands  for  more  space  grew  more 
insistent.  Additions  were  made  in  the  form  of  billiard  rooms, 
sun  parlors,  writing  rooms,  etc.  As  the  Knights  had  gained  a 
knowledge  of  what  was  needed  by  their  previous  experience  these 
additions  often  exceeded  the  original  hut  in  fineness  of  construc- 
tion. Often,  so  skilful  was  the  architecture,  and  so  neatly  made 
the  interior  furnishings  and  decorations,  that  the  hut  library  or 
sitting  room  was  as  presentable  and  inviting  as  the  lounge-room 
of  a  country  club.  Sometimes  the  annex  was  fitted  up  as  a 
gymnasium,  but  invariably  the  main  hut  had  collapsible  gym- 
nastic instruments  which  could  easily  be  erected  on  a  cleared 
floor. 

As  time  passed  the  Knights  evolved  a  type  of  building  at  once 
handsome  and  commodious.  Perhaps  the  best  example  of  their 
final  structures  was  the  celebrated  Longacre  Hut,  erected  on 


Rapid  Growth  of  Home  Work  239 

what  has  been  called  the  most  expensive  theatrical  site  in  the 
world,  at  Broadway  and  Forty-sixth  street,  New  York  City. 
This  hut  was  a  gem  of  the  type  of  temporary  building,  and  while 
its  dimensions  were  small,  its  capacity  was  large  —  500  men. 
Lacking  some  of  the  usual  features  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
huts,  the  assertion  has  been  made,  perhaps  lightly,  that  the  Long- 
acre  Hut  was  merely  erected  for  its  advertising  value,  being  situ- 
ated at  one  of  the  busiest  traffic  points  in  the  metropolis.  How- 
ever, the  use  to  which  the  hut  was  put,  even  though  difficulties 
of  construction  hindered  its  early  opening,  disprove  the  charge. 

Here  was  exemplified  the  system  of  volunteer  co-operation  in 
entertainment  that  added  immensely  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
service  offered  by  the  Knights,  Skilled  professional  and  amateur 
performers  and  women  of  high  social  standing  gave  their  time 
to  exercise  hospitality,  in  the  name  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
towards  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  young  men  of  the  service 
on  leave  in  New  York.  In  terms  of  money  the  soldier,  sailor  or 
marine  could  obtain  more  interesting  diversions  and  refreshment 
at  this  hut,  free  of  charge,  than  at  any  other  similar  place  in  the 
country.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  have  actors  in  a  Broad- 
way theatrical  show  perform  in  the  hut,  and,  during  the  perform- 
ance, for  candy  and  cigarettes  to  be  liberally  distributed  among 
the  men.  Miss  Elizabeth  Marbury  was  largely  responsible  for 
the  success  of  Longacre  Hut,  and  among  the  ladies  who  inter- 
ested themselves  in  this  special  phase  of  kindly  endeavor  were 
Mrs.  W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Alfred  Johnson,  Mrs.  R.  H. 
Collier,  Mrs.  Joseph  Slevin,  Jr.,  Miss  Teresa  O'Donoghue  and 
others  who  acted  as  hostesses. 

Huts  of  similar  value  were  maintained  by  the  Knights  in  much- 
frequented  parts  of  other  large  cities — the  hut  on  Boston 
Common  achieving  a  reputation  as  distinct  as  that  made  by  the 
Longacre  Hut  under  the  able  management  of  Mr.  John  McAcey. 
These  city  huts,  and  the  entertainment  given  in  them,  were,  of 
course,  later  developments  of  the  domestic  work,  which,  at  the 
outset,  was  large  enough  for  the  small  army  of  workers  and  the 
limited  finances,  when  confined  to  training  camps. 


240      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  progress  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  hut-building  can  be 
described  as  a  cycle.  From  the  small,  neat  huts  originally  placed 
in  National  Guard  encampments,  the  forward  step  was  taken  to 
larger  buildings  with  annexes,  until  really  imposing  structures 
were  put  up  in  such  great  camps  as  Meade  and  Dix.  Then  came 
the  return  to  small  buildings  for  use  in  the  crowded  places  of  the 
larger  cities. 

An  astounding  task  it  would  have  been,  at  any  time,  and  for 
any  man  or  set  of  men,  but  especially  for  an  organization  not 
experienced  in  such  large  contracts,  to  put  up  400  wooden  build- 
ings, besides  many  tents,  in  all  parts  of  the  country  within  a 
period  of  twelve  months.  This  is  practically  what  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  accomplished,  and  without  outside  assistance, 
excepting  for  the  courtesies  extended  by  the  government,  and,  in 
one  instance,  when  the  Eleventh  Engineers  erected  a  building  at 
Camp  Dix  and,  in  gratitude,  donated  it  to  the  Knights,  who  recip- 
rocated by  presenting  the  regiment  with  a  check  for  $8,000  for 
the  regimental  recreational  fund. 

The  whole  achievement  of  construction,  considered  in  its 
merely  physical  aspect,  becomes  wonderful  when  we  bear  in  mind 
the  modest  beginnings  of  the  work.  To  commence  with  a  half- 
score  of  buildings  and  a  handful  of  secretaries  in  the  mid-summer 
of  1917,  then,  by  the  mid-summer  of  the  year  following,  to  have 
a  compact  army  of  workers  as  large  as  an  old-time  regiment  and 
a  chain  of  establishments  through  the  country  rivalling  the  results 
of  the  gigantic  chain-store  corporations,  was  a  surprising  record, 
even  in  our  hustling  war-time.  And  all  was  managed  with  such 
efficiency  that  there  was  a  uniformity  of  personnel  and  practically 
of  programmes  of  operation,  from  Camp  Upton  to  Camp  Beau- 
regard, from  Camp  Lewis  to  Kelly  Field. 

No  claim  of  perfection  is  foolishly  ventured  in  behalf  of  the 
management  of  the  domestic  work.  Here,  in  this  country,  there 
were  few  of  the  harassing  difficulties  that  beset  the  work  over- 
seas. Yet  there  is  no  record  of  serious  error  having  been  made 
in  either  business  or  psychological  calculation.  Both  men  and 
materials  for  the  work  were  selected  carefully.  The  organiza- 
tion of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  made  this  possible.    No  spot  in 


Rapid  Growth  of  Home  Work  241 

this  immense  country  is  out  of  contact  with  some  qualified  repre- 
sentative of  the  Order.  BHndfolded,  a  man  can  place  his  finger 
anywhere  on  the  map  of  the  United  States,  read  the  name  of  the 
location  he  has  touched,  and  within  the  shortest  practicable  time 
in  which  communication  can  be  made,  he  will  have  received,  from 
Knights  of  Columbus  sources,  such  information  as  will  satisfy 
him  regarding  the  good  or  bad  prospects  for  business  operation 
in  that  locality.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  Supreme  executives 
at  New  Haven  were,  through  the  men  of  subordinate  councils, 
always  in  close  touch  with  conditions  everywhere  and  were  thus 
enabled  to  make  rapid  decisions  in  all  matters.  Hence  the  success 
of  the  Knights  in  expediting  the  growth  of  their  domestic  work 
on  a  consistently  efficient  basis.  Where  a  tent  would  suffice  for 
the  service  to  be  rendered  to  a  relatively  small  number  of  men 
in  a  place  where  climatic  conditions  did  not  call  for  a  hut,  the 
Knights  erected  the  tent  and  manned  it  with  a  secretary.  More 
than  fifty  such  tents  were  operated  by  the  Knights,  effecting  a 
substantial  saving  to  the  war  fund.  Such  economies  resulted 
from  the  completeness  of  information  with  which  the  Knights 
were  supplied  in  their  procedure. 

The  Knights  had  separate  buildings  for  negroes,  with  negro 
secretaries  to  attend  to  their  requirements.  Few  of  our  colored 
citizens  are  Catholics,  but  those  who  are  seem  to  be  of  an 
unusually  high  character. 

It  has  been  remarked,  with  truth,  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
aimed  primarily  to  serve  the  enlisted  man.  Yet,  while  the 
Knights  recognized  that  the  enlisted  man  stood  in  first  need  of 
aid  on  account  of  the  vast  difference  in  remuneration  and  privi- 
leges between  him  and  his  officers,  they  also  gave  practical  atten- 
tion to  the  needs  of  the  officers.  Especially  was  this  the  case  in 
the  officers'  training  camps  and  at  aviation  schools.  Further- 
more, officers  were  always  represented  among  the  patrons  at  the 
entertainments  in  Knights  of  Columbus  huts  and  among  the 
worshippers  at  religious  services;  so  also  were  nurses  and  other 
women  workers  in  the  camps. 

To  keep  their  huts  in  operation  at  maximum  efficiency  the 
Knights,  strangely  enough,  did  not  engage  a  large  personnel. 


242      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Instead,  they  chose  the  best  men  they  could  find  and  put  them 
into  a  camp  in  a  small,  compact  band  —  never  more  than  eighteen 
secretaries  to  one  camp  —  and  then  let  the  men  work  out  their 
own  salvation  with  the  boys,  with  every  possible  assistance  from 
headquarters  in  New  Haven.  The  duties  of  the  secretaries  were 
arduous  and  their  hours  long.  They  were  all  things  to  all  men. 
In  their  early  advertisements  for  men  the  Knights  stressed  the 
fact  that  they  had  no  openings  for  "  adventurers."  No  man 
looking  for  novelty  could  stand  the  strain  of  continuous  hard 
work.  Also,  at  the  outset  of  their  work,  the  Knights  informed 
Provost  Marshal  General  Crowder  that  under  no  circumstances 
would  they  support  the  plea  of  any  man  in  their  service  for  draft 
exemption. 

General  Crowder's  appreciation  of  their  attitude  is  expressed 
in  the  following  letter : 

WAR  DEPARTMENT 

OFFICE  OF  THE  PROVOST 

MARSHAL     GENERAL 

WASHINGTON 

August  24,   191 7. 
Mr.  p.  H.  Callahan,  Chairman,  Committee  on  War  Activities, 
Knights  of   Columbus, 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Dear  Mr.  Callahan  : 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  August  20th,  in  which  you  are  good 
enough  to  inform  me  "  it  is  not  our  intention  to  claim  exemption  for  anybody 
connected  with  our  work,  although  we  shall  have  at  least  a  couple  of 
hundred  of  our  best  young  men  who  come  within  the  military  age,  doing 
very  important  educational  work." 

This  statement  is  so  fine,  and  is  so  reassuring,  and  is  so  full  of  the  spirit 
of  what  I  am  pleased  to  call  genuine  Americanism,  that  I  cannot  refrain 
from  sending  you  a  personal  word  to  congratulate  you  for  the  attitude 
which  you  and  the  organization  which  you  represent  have  assumed. 

I  should  be  very  glad  if  you  would  communicate  at  least  the  contents 
of  this  letter  to  your  colleagues. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)    E.  H.  Crowder, 

Provost  Marshal  General. 


Rapid  Growth  of  Home  Work  243 

Offering  no  refuge  for  those  who  sought  an  easy  livelihood  or 
escape  from  military  service  it  is  easily  seen  that  the  men  who  did 
obtain  service  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  sound-hearted 
and  genuinely  eager  to  help  the  soldiers. 

It  was  not  realized  until  our  armies  began  to  be  formed,  how 
little  our  boasted  system  of  education  had  Americanized  large 
portions  of  our  population.  A  large  number  of  soldiers,  not 
from  the  smaller  States  particularly,  but  from  the  great,  imperial 
ones,  like  Pennsylvania,  could  not  speak  the  English  language. 
In  one  case,  at  Camp  Lee,  there  was  an  infantryman  from  Pitts- 
burgh, who  seemed  to  be  conversant  with  no  language  understood 
of  anybody  in  the  camp.  He  turned  out  to  be  a  Lett;  but  his 
was  not  the  only  case  of  men  who  had  been  drafted  into 
the  army  without  any  knowledge  of  the  issues  at  stake  or  any 
conception  of  the  process  by  which  they  had  entered  it.  This 
class  of  men,  mainly  from  the  mines,  made  excellent  soldiers, 
and  soon  realized  that  they  were  better  off  physically  than  they 
had  ever  been  in  their  lives;  but  in  the  beginning  it  was  neces- 
sary to  find  some  common  bond  which  would  unite  them  to  their 
fellows,  and  this  was  generally  found  in  religion.  Among  the 
newly  arrived  Italians,  some  of  whom  spoke  only  a  patois,  this 
was  of  the  first  necessity,  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were 
very  instrumental  in  making  a  liaison  between  these  inarticu- 
late souls  and  their  fellow  citizens. 

Even  during  the  hostilities,  when  there  was  so  much  uncer- 
tainty about  the  future,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  with  that 
curious  instinct,  which  under  Providence,  led  them  to  put  their 
hands  to  the  plow  wherever  they  found  opportunity,  began  a 
system  of  education.  At  Fort  Hamilton,  for  instance,  in  their 
desire  to  waste  no  moment  of  time,  they  began  classes  in  mathe- 
matics which  enabled  many  capable  young  men,  who  would  not 
otherwise  have  had  the  opportunity  to  do  so,  to  apply  for  and 
pass  examinations  which  led  to  commissions. 

The  men  who  remained  at  home,  indispensable  as  their  work 
was,  seem  to  have  acquired  the  bad  habit  of  complaining  of  the 
unkind  circumstances  which  forced  them  to  miss  the  excitement, 


244      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  interest  and  the  sense  of  being  really  "  in  "  the  conflict,  which 
their  compatriots  overseas  enjoyed.  Those  who  profited  by 
their  exertions,  by  their  patience  and  unremitting  work,  do  not 
share  in  this  regret;  for,  without  them,  it  is  admitted  that  the 
war  might  have  been  more  protracted,  the  morale  of  the  troops, 
which  reflected  sensitively  the  feeling  at  home,  would  have  been 
less  strong  in  forcing  that  victory  which  culminated  in  the 
announcement  of  the  armistice  on  November  11,   1918. 

Perhaps  only  physicians  who  are  aware  of  the  dangers  to  health 
and  to  life  which  these  civilians  risk,  not  hesitating  to  undertake 
any  task,  no  matter  how  repulsive  and  menial  it  might  be  in  the 
interests  of  the  service  men,  can  realize  the  extent  of  the  home 
secretaries'  fortitude  and  courage  during  the  frightful  outbreak 
of  influenza, —  which  took  on  the  proportions  of  a  mysterious 
plague  —  the  devotion  of  these  men,  their  apparent  lack  of  fear 
of  infection  or  contagion,  which  rivalled  any  exhibit  of  bravery 
on  the  battlefield,  deserves,  in  this  record,  at  least  a  slight 
emphasis.  It  may,  perhaps,  seem  out  of  place,  to  choose  any  one 
example  of  these  disinterested  sacrifices  out  of  the  many;  but 
local  attention  was  forced  on  one  incident  at  Indianapolis  during 
the  epidemic  of  the  Autumn  of  1918  when,  at  Fort  Benjamin 
Harrison,  the  ravages  of  the  plague  were  so  intense,  that  human 
effort  in  combatting  it  seemed  useless.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, men  might  be  excused  for  giving  up  the  fight  as  a  forlorn 
hope,  noting  that  each  fighter  in  turn  was  rendered  powerless; 
but,  when  a  panic,  almost  justified,  had  forced  nearly  all  the  brave 
combatants  of  this  mysterious  disease  out  of  the  field,  there  w^ere 
some  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  who  stood  their  ground 
to  the  last,  even  when  the  physicians  would  have  encouraged 
them  to  look  on  the  struggle  as  one  which  could  only  end  in  the 
loss  of  their  own  lives. 

Without  men  in  every  camp  who  devoted  the  majority  of  their 
hours  to  camp  work  and  gave  their  best  energy  to  the  job,  it 
would  have  been  impossible  for  the  Knights  to  have  maintained 
their  activities  at  anything  like  adequate  efficiency.  Every  after- 
noon and  evening  on  every  day  of  the  year  some  sort  of  recrea- 
tion and  entertainment  was  provided  in  every  hut  —  this  in  addi- 


Rapid  Growth  of  Home  Work  245 

tion  to  the  mass  of  other  work  the  secretaries  had  to  perform, 
such  as  hospital-visiting,  etc.  An  idea  of  the  immensity  of  the 
home  operations,  and  this  only  so  far  as  the  camps  are  concerned, 
is  to  be  obtained  by  a  survey  of  the  report  sheets  for  any  one 
week  of  activity  selected  at  random  from  the  files  of  any  camp. 
The  following  program  for  the  week  of  July  14-21,  at  Camp 
Shelby,  Mississippi,  will  suffice  to  illustrate  generally  the  nature 
and  scope  of  the  work  that  was  done  through  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  buildings  in  the  camps: 

Sunday  —  Morning:  Field  Mass  with  sermon.  Altar  decorated  in 
patriotic  colors  in  honor  of  French  holiday.  Music  fo*-  the  Mass,  com- 
munity singing  and  military  band.  Officers  of  the  French  Mission  training 
the  38th  Division,  were  present. 

Evening:  Celebration  at  8  p.  m.  151st  Inf.  Band  opened  the  ceremonies 
with  music;  selection  "Joan  of  Arc";  solo  by  Zellers'  138th  M.  G.  Btn. 
"  Lorraine  " ;  solo  "  La  Marseillaise  "  in  French,  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
General  Secretary  of  Camp,  Lewis  L  Bourgeois.  Lieut.  Chaplain  E.  J. 
Finnegan,  139th  M.  G.  Btn.,  delivered  a  patriotic  address;  band  selection 
"  Somewhere  in  France  " ;  address  by  Lieut.  Viquerra,  French  officer,  detail- 
ing his  experiences  in  the  trenches.  The  celebration  closed  with  the  "  Star 
Spangled  Banner  "  and  "  The  Marseillaise." 

Monday  —  Afternoon:  Detail  151st  Infantry,  community  singing  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  leader. 

Evening:  Club-room  features,  letter- writing,  games,  chess,  checkers, 
billiards,  impromptu  singing  by  one  of  the  men  in  the  service,  recent  arrival 
with  a  very  fine  tenor  voice  and  he  has  been  booked  up  for  every  Monday 
evening  at  the  'Knights  of   Columbus  building. 

Tuesday  —  Movies,  "The  Cross  Bearer,"  World  feature;  singing  by 
everybody  oetween  the  reels,  slides  being  used.  In  the  afternoon  the  113th 
Signal  Battalion  and  officers  in  the  building  at  3:15  p.  m.,  singing  together 
under  leadership  of  Mr.  Wingard  of  the  Fosdick  Commission. 

Wednesday  —  Afternoon:  Baseball,  113th  Signal  Btn.  vs.  139th  M.  G. 
Btn.,  score  7  to  3  in  favor  of  the  M.  G.  Btn.  Catholic  ladies'  afternoon,  sew- 
ing, mending,  refreshments,  candies  and  cakes. 

Evening:  Combination  program.  Cartoon  drawings.  Vaudeville  sketch. 
Ten  minute  patriotic  movie,  "  Columbia."    Appropriate  singing. 

Thursday — Aftenoon:     French  classes  for  officers. 

Evening:  Movies,  World  feature,  Madge  Evans  in  "  Volunteer."  Com- 
munity singing  with  slides. 

Friday — Aftenoon:    Open,  letter-writing, 

17 


246      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Evening:  Entertainment  staged  by  the  ladies  from  Meridian  and  Hatties- 
burg.  Miss  Pickens,  Miss  Batson,  the  Mayor's  daughter,  and  others. 
Enthusiastic  audience  and  community  singing. 

Saturday  —  Evening :    Confessions. 

Sunday  —  Morning:  Two  Masses  and  High  Mass.  One  hundred 
Communions, 

Evening:  Smoker,  with  plenty  of  cigars,  cigarettes  and  tobacco.  Indi- 
vidual stunts  by  camp  talent. 

Masses  in  camp  on  Sundays,  9,  including  one  at  Base  Hospital,  and  one 
at  Detention  Camp  Tent.  After  Mass  in  the  Detention  Camp  the  General 
Secretary  distributed  stationery,  rosaries,  Testaments,  medals,  etc. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  Chaplain  and  General  Secretary  visited  the 
negro  camp  one  day  during  this  week.  Stationery,  religious  articles,  etc., 
were  distributed.  The  following  day  four  Chaplains  heard  confessions 
under  the  pine  trees.  The  following  morning  Field  Mass  was  celebrated, 
at  which  the  entire  body  of  colored  troops  turned  out. 

Multiply  this  sum  of  activity  by  over  four  hundred  and  the 
volume  of  effort  made  every  w^eek  for  the  welfare  of  the  men 
can  be  imagined.  This  activity,  exceeding  by  far,  in  mere 
volume,  the  largest  of  theatrical  enterprises,  was  a  growth  of 
unparalleled  speed  —  a  machine  that  had  increased  by  its  own 
velocity  and  that  worked  smoothly  in  every  small  part  and  bearing. 
Always,  everywhere,  throughout  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
system,  the  soldiers  and  sailors  and  marines  enjoyed  fresh  enter- 
tainment; nothing  stale  was  ever  permitted  to  bore  them.  This 
represented  unwearying  energy  and  ingenuity  on  the  part  of  all 
contributing  to  the  work  —  these  being  by  no  means  limited  to 
the  official  secretaries.  The  thousands  of  men  and  women  who 
co-operated  with  the  Knights  merit  the  most  grateful  thanks  for 
the  result  attained  through  their  assistance. 

Mr.  Byrne,  quoted  at  the  opening  of  this  chapter,  was  literally 
exact  when  he  declared  that,  in  their  war  work,  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  had  made  a  generation  of  progress.  The  growth  and 
effectiveness  of  the  work  in  the  home  camps,  if  considered  of 
itself  alone,  proves  this.  When  the  correlated  work  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  city  service  centers  and  the  council  com- 
munity activities  are  considered,  and  the  magnificent  overseas 


Rapid  Growth  of  Home  Work  247 

work  borne  in  mind,  then  Mr.  Byrne's  statement  becomes  a 
conservative  truth. 

The  old  suspicion  that  an  organization  so  quickly  developed 
could  not  long  remain  eflFective,  that  it  must  go  the  way  of  all 
sudden  expansions,  is  at  once  dismissed  by  the  written  testimony 
of  the  commander  of  every  camp  where  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus operated.  These  men,  all  soldiers,  not  given  to  superfluous 
words,  have  all  tendered  thanks  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  for 
the  intelligent  service  rendered  the  men  of  their  commands. 
Among  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  who  were  trained  and 
demobilized  in  home  camps  there  is  no  difference  of  opinion  on 
this  subject.  The  man  from  Gordon,  the  man  from  Snelling,  the 
man  from  the  Presidio  or  Lewis  and  the  man  from  Devens, 
Upton,  Mills  or  Dix,  Sherman  or  Funston,  from  the  Great  Lakes 
to  Pelham  Bay  —  regulars,  guardsmen,  selected  service  men, 
sailors  and  marines  —  all  agree  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
proffered  them  constant  entertainment  and  wholesome  recreation 
every  day  and  every  hour  of  their  camp  life. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
ENTERING  THE  FIELD  ABROAD 

BY  the  early  autumn  of  1917  the  Knights  of  Columbus  work 
in  the  camps  at  home  had  achieved  a  notable  success. 
Buildings  had  been  erected  in  all  the  camps  and  were  open 
at  all  times  and  constantly  used;  community  work  was  being 
efficiently  handled  by  chapters  and  subordinate  councils;  in  short, 
the  home  activities  were  thriving,  although  their  prosperity  was 
dependent  on  the  alertness  with  which  the  Order's  war  work 
executives  managed  the  campaign  for  funds  and  adapted  and 
operated  their  machine  of  organization,  while  creating  new  parts 
for  new  functions  which  became  necessary  with  the  development 
of  the  work. 

From  the  time  when  Supreme  Physician  Buckley,  Supreme 
Director  Dwyer  and  Judge  Burns  conferred  with  the  late  Arch- 
bishop Ireland  concerning  Knights  of  Columbus  activities  at  Fort 
Snelling,  and  wrote  the  Supreme  Secretary  regarding  the  desira- 
bility and  necessity  of  the  Order's  undertaking  work  similar  to 
that  carried  on  at  the  border,  the  ultimate  object  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  had  been  to  enter  the  relief  field  overseas.  All  the 
executive  ability  at  the  Order's  command  was  required  to  initiate 
and  expand  the  domestic  work,  so  that  there  was  little  opportunity, 
during  the  first  two  or  three  months,  to  do  much  towards  begin- 
ning overseas  work.  The  authority  given  to  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  by  the  War  Department's  Commission  on  Training 
Camp  Activities  contained  no  permission  to  operate  with  the 
American  Expeditionary  Forces.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
privileges  of  other  organizations,  it  remained  for  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  to  secure  explicit  authority  from  the  Commander  of 
the  A.  E.  F.  before  they  could  extend  their  service  to  the  troops 
rapidly  arriving  in  France. 

Before  the  first  building  had  been  opened  in  a  camp  at  home 
Supreme  Knight  James  A.  Flaherty  stated  publicly  that  one  of 
the  chief  objects  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  entering  war 

[248] 


Entering  the  Field  Abroad  249 

relief  work  was  to  carry  spiritual  consolation  on  the  field  of 
battle  to  the  thousands  of  young  men  who  would  be  deprived  of 
the  ministrations  of  a  priest  were  they  forced  to  depend  upon 
the  inadequate  supply  of  regular  army  chaplains.  The  Knights 
felt  themselves  compelled  to  enter  the  work  overseas  at  the  first 
possible  moment  they  could  do  so,  as  they  had  raised  their  fund 
with  that  service  as  part  of  the  reason  for  their  plea,  and  were 
in  conscience  bound  to  care  for  their  co-religionists  in  active  serv- 
ice. With  this  urgent  reason  there  was  also  the  patriotic  desire  to 
commence  work  abroad  as  quickly  as  possible  so  that  the  comfort 
and  companionship  found  for  the  men  in  the  camps  at  home  could 
be  provided  abroad,  where  it  was  most  needed. 

With  the  Federalized  National  Guard  units  commencing  their 
movement  to  Europe  in  large  numbers  by  September,  1917,  the 
Knights  proceeded  to  secure  necessary  permission  for  work  over- 
seas from  General  Pershing.  Almost  coincident  with  the  move- 
ment of  the  guardsmen  overseas,  the  first  party  of  Knights  of 
Columbus  volunteer  chaplains  sailed  for  France.  By  granting 
these  priests  passports,  the  Government  implied  a  distinction 
between  ordinary  service  in  the  way  of  physical  and  mental  recre- 
ation, and  the  services  of  chaplains  —  a  concession  which  enabled 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  to  go  at  once  to  the  aid  of  the  men  who 
engaged  in  our  first  fighting,  without  formal  permission  from  the 
Commander  of  the  A.  E.  F. 

Fathers  Joseph  Pontur,  Osias  Boucher,  John  B.  DeValles, 
Joseph  M.  Blais  and  George  C.  Van  Goetham  were  the  first  volun- 
teer chaplains  to  leave  this  country  for  France.  The  Reverend 
Lewis  J.  O'Hern,  C.  S.  P.,  who  early  in  the  war  represented  the 
hierarchy  in  dealings  with  the  War  and  Navy  Departments  rela- 
tive to  the  appointment  of  Catholic  chaplains,  arranged  for  these 
chaplains  to  proceed  abroad  in  the  uniform  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus.  Once  abroad,  the  record  made  by  these  priests  sufficed 
as  an  introduction  to  the  Army  of  all  who  came  afterwards, 
wearing  the  same  uniform.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  supplied 
these  priests  with  ample  funds  to  provide  comforts  for  the  boys 
in  addition  to  spiritual  guidance  and  religious  consolation.    This 


250      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

fact  really  constituted  the  informal  opening  of  the  Order's  oper- 
ations with  the  A.  E.  F.,  for  at  every  opportunity  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  volunteer  chaplains  expended  the  funds  entrusted  to 
them  in  purchasing  creature  comforts  for  the  boys,  distributing 
these  in  the  name  of  the  Order.  The  devotion  shown  by  these 
priests  is  now  an  inseparable  part  of  the  record  of  American 
achievements  in  the  war ;  they  accomplished  things  that  consoled 
the  Knights  of  Columbus,  in  a  large  measure,  for  the  irritating 
delays  in  the  way  of  their  quick  entry  into  overseas  work  with 
large  numbers  of  secretaries  and  the  paraphernalia  of  intensive 
activity. 

These  men  blazed  the  trail  for  the  Knights.  In  the  fighting 
from  the  very  beginning  they  won  spurs  for  themselves  and  the 
organization  they  represented  by  fortitude  and  valor  under  fire. 
They  gave  the  first  demonstration  of  what  is  now  an  indisputable 
fact  in  American  military  tradition,  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
stood  ready  to  go  wherever  the  soldier  went,  in  battle  and  out, 
and  to  render  him  the  fullest  personal  service. 

The  New  York  Times  headed  an  article  describing  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  success  overseas  with  the  striking  phrase,  "  Jumping 
hurdles;''  to  the  eyes  of  the  outside  world  the  method  of  the 
Knights  in  getting  under  way  overseas  might  suggest  the  meta- 
phor. Really,  the  process  was  a  long  struggle  against  circum- 
stances that  hindered.  Other  organizations  at  work  for  the  wel- 
fare of  American  fighting  men  had  European  affiliations,  which 
meant  European  good  will.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  were 
practically  unknown  in  Europe.  What  information  British  or 
French  officialdom  had  of  them  was  misleading,  for  there  was,  at 
first,  an  obvious  unwillingness  on  the  part  of  the  Allies  to  assent 
to  the  entry  of  the  Knights  into  war  work  in  their  territories. 

In  plain  language,  the  British  held  suspect  any  organization 
whose  membership  was  largely  composed  of  men  of  Catholic  Irish 
extraction,  while  the  French  and  Italian  governments,  misled  by 
the  impression  that  any  society  professedly  Catholic  was  politi- 
cally *' clerical,"  and  therefore  opposed  to  the  existing  govern- 
ment, had  to  have  their  apprehensions  cleared  away.    The  British 


Entering  the  Field  Abroad  251 

'government  has  since  learned  that  whatever  the  sympathies  of 
individual  members  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  towards  Ireland, 
there  is  only  one  designation  to  be  applied  to  them,  and  that  is 
that  the  Knights  are  loyal  citizens  of  the  country  to  which  they 
belong.  The  French  and  the  Italian  governments  now  know  that 
the  activities  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  the  Allied  countries 
had  no  relation  whatever  to  politics  of  any  kind,  that  their  activi- 
ties were  restricted  to  the  work  of  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the 
American  troops  by  stimulating  them  spiritually  and  assisting  in 
every  practical  way  in  their  temporal  well-being.  The  surprise 
of  the  French  and  Italians  when  they  witnessed  the  unconscious 
and  habitual  devotion  in  their  churches  of  these  Americans  whom 
they  had  generally  regarded  as  rather  pagan,  was  amusing. 
"  I  must  say,"  wrote  a  little  French  child,  "  that  I  never  learned 
in  my  geography  that  these  Americans  of  the  North  were  such 
good  people.  They  knelt  at  Mass  just  like  other  Christians,  and 
they  were  very  much  more  devout  than  some  of  our  Norman 
neighbors." 

When  the  Order's  first  overseas  commissioner,  Mr.  Walter  N. 
Kernan,  went  abroad  in  October,  1917,  the  Knights  had  no  roof 
in  Europe  that  they  could  call  their  own.  A  handful  of  chaplains 
represented  Columbianism  and  the  devotion  of  the  American 
Catholic  people  to  the  A.  E.  F.  The  first  man  to  set  foot  on  the 
soil  of  France  in  the  uniform  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was 
the  Reverend  Father  Joseph  Pontur,  who,  accompanied  by  Felix 
Limongi  of  New  Orleans,  a  native  of  France,  had  been  sent  over 
in  the  latter  part  of  August.  They  had  gone  via  Cadiz  and  were 
under  instructions  from  Chairman  Callahan  to  make  an  unosten- 
tatious but  thorough  investigation  of  conditions  confronting  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  in  their  effort  to  secure  the  necessary  per- 
mission to  operate  with  the  A.  E.  F.  Keeping  in  regular  com- 
munication with  Chairman  Callahan  in  Washington,  they  sent 
reports  justifying  the  dispatch  of  other  chaplains.  But  no  per- 
mission had  been  extended  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  to  do 
work  similar  to  that  being  done  by  the  Y.  M,  C.  A.,  and  a  letter 
sent  to  Father  Pontur  under  date  of  October  10th  by  General 


252      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

J.  G.  Harbord,  "  suggested  that  this  particular  work  [that  pro- 
posed by  the  Knights  of  Columbus]  might  find  its  highest  useful- 
ness in  assisting  the  constituted  authorities  in  safeguarding  our 
soldiers  who  may  visit  Paris  in  transit,  or  on  duty  or  leave  of 
absence." 

This  would,  the  Knights  felt,  be  important  work;  but  it  fell 
far  short  of  their  ambitions  and  of  the  work  they  were  bound  in 
conscience  to  do  to  carry  out  the  trust  reposed  in  them  by  the 
American  public  when  their  plea  for  war  funds  met  with  such 
generous  response.  In  France  at  that  time  there  were  countless 
ministers  of  religion  besieging  the  authorities  for  permission  to 
go  to  the  front  to  render  religious  aid  to  the  troops.  Father 
Pontur  and  the  other  Knights  of  Columbus  chaplains  who  applied 
to  headquarters  received,  at  the  beginning,  equal  privileges  with 
the  others,  which  meant  hardly  any  privileges  at  all ;  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  Father  Pontur  and  the  other  Knights  of 
Columbus  chaplains  represented  a  definite  desire  on  the  part  of 
the  American  public,  as  expressed  in  terms  of  financial  support, 
that  they  render  service  at  the  front.  General  Harbord  did,  how- 
ever, promise  Father  Pontur  that  "  with  reference  to  your  par- 
ticular work  on  behalf  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  an  inquiry 
will  be  instituted,  and  if  there  appears  to  be  a  demand  among  our 
Catholic  soldiers  for  such  work,  effort  will  be  made  to  arrange 
for  your  making  an  occasional  visit  to  the  front."  These  words 
of  General  Harbord's  are  significant  —  first,  because  of  the  sub- 
sequent permission  granted  by  General  Pershing,  evidently  a 
result  of  the  inquiry  into  the  soldiers'  desires;  second,  because 
the  "  occasional  visit "  that  might  be  arranged  for  the  chaplains 
stands  as  a  startling  manifestation  of  the  rigid  regulations  by 
which  the  army  worked,  for,  once  the  words  "  Knights  of 
Columbus  "  were  inserted  in  an  order  from  General  Headquarters 
concerning  the  treatment  to  be  accorded  civilian  workers  with  the 
A.  E.  F.,  the  "  occasional  visits  "  of  Knights  of  Columbus  chap- 
lains became  mere  memories:  then,  the  chaplains  lived  with  the 
men  and  were  of  them  —  and  nobody  welcomed  them  more  than 
the  commanding  of^cers. 


Entering  the  Field  Abroad  253 

Apparently,  the  Army  had  no  discretion  in  the  matter  of  per- 
mitting volunteer  chaplains  to  go  to  the  front  to  serve  the  men. 
General  Order  No.  26,  issued  from  the  headquarters  of  the 
A.  E.  F.  on  August  28,  1917,  laid  down  what  was  described  as 
"  a  guiding  rule  "  for  the  activity  of  the  Red  Cross  and  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  with  the  A.  E.  F.  Under  this  rule  the  work  of  relief 
was  assigned  to  the  Red  Cross  and  that  of  amusement  and  recrea- 
tion to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  previously  been 
accorded  the  exclusive  privilege  of  operating  canteens.  Of 
course  these  general  heads  could  be  made  to  embrace  every  con- 
ceivable mode  of  activity  on  the  part  of  civilians  for  the  men  in 
the  service.  The  Red  Cross  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  their  work 
quite  literally  cut  out  for  them  and  they  could  not,  by  official 
order,  invade  each  other's  province  without  special  consent,  once 
the  necessity  had  been  proved,  of  the  head  of  that  organization 
any  part  of  whose  scheduled  work  the  other  organization  sought 
to  perform. 

This  meant  that  there  would  be  times  when  a  Catholic  priest, 
seeking  to  serve  troops  in  an  area  recreationally  occupied  by  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  would  be  compelled  to  seek  the  aid  of  the  Y,  M.  C.  A. 
instead  of  an  agency  which  did  not  exclude  Catholics  from 
executive  position.  This  situation  was,  quite  obviously,  embar- 
rassing to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  chaplains,  although  when 
Commissioner  Kernan  took  the  case  to  competent  persons  for 
advice,  the  chaplains  believed  that  full  recognition,  and  a  conse- 
quently increased  effectiveness  of  their  labors,  would  be  forth- 
coming. So  they  applied  themselves  diligently  to  w^ork  in  Paris 
and  at  the  points  of  disembarkation  —  Brest,  Bordeaux  and  St. 
Nazaire  —  where  club-rooms  were  secured.  It  was  considered 
paramount  that  nothing  should  be  done  to  embarrass  the  military 
authorities,  to  whom  formal  application  for  permission  to  work 
had  been  made  by  Commissioner  Kernan. 

In  this  application  Commissioner  Kernan  went  into  detail  con- 
cerning the  objects  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  the  work  they 
proposed  to  establish  with  the  A.  E.  F.  and  stated  how  Secretary 
of  War  Baker  had  advised  him  that  permission  to  operate  with 


254      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  A.  E.  F.  rested  solely  with  its  Commander-in-Chief.  He 
added  that  Secretary  of  State  Lansing  had  said  that  the  govern- 
ment "welcomed  most  heartily  this  movement  [to  do  work 
overseas]  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus."  Commissioner  Kernan 
specified  that  he  could  guarantee  no  expenditure  beyond  the 
$250,000  provided  for  overseas  work  in  the  original  Knights  of 
Columbus  $1,000,000  budget.  He  stated  that  Sir  Arthur  Stanley 
and  Sir  Charles  Russell  of  the  British  Red  Cross,  the  Federation 
of  Catholic  Societies  of  England  and  other  influential  English 
Catholic  organizations  and  persons  had  offered  to  help  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  in  their  preliminary  work  abroad,  and  he 
set  out  his  complete  list  of  credentials.  This  letter  was  sent  to 
General  Pershing  at  Chaumont  on  November  5  and  between 
that  date  and  November  13,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Commis- 
sioner occupied  himself  with  searching  Paris  for  a  desirable  loca- 
tion for  a  club  —  a  wise  and  practical  occupation,  for  on  Novem- 
ber 13,  there  came  from  the  headquarters  of  the  A.  E.  F.  at 
Chaumont  the  letter  from  General  Pershing  establishing  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  as  a  recognized  relief  agency  with  the 
A.  E.  F.  This  letter  being  of  the  nature  of  a  patent  for  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  to  work  abroad,  merits  quotation  in  full: 

American  Expeditionary  Forces 

Office  of  the  Commander-in-Chief. 

November  13,  191 7. 
Mr.  Walter  N.  Kernan, 

Guarantee  Trust  Company  of  New  York, 

Succursale  de  Paris,  i  et  2  Rue  des  Italiens,  Paris. 

My  dear  Mr.  Kernan: 

I  am  pleased  to  receive  your  letter  conveying  the  interest  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  in  the  soldiers  of  this  command,  and  note  the  very  generous  aid 
proposed  by  the  Supreme  Board  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  While  I  am 
very  gratified  to  receive  the  letters  of  introduction  you  carry  from  so  many 
distinguished  Americans,  these  were  hardly  necessary  in  securing  for  you  a 
warm  welcome,  not  only  from  myself  but  from  our  forces. 

In  view  of  the  very  considerable  service  by  the  American  Red  Cross  and 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  I  find  it  difficult  to  answer  your  letter,  defining  your  best 
field  of  work.    We  are  all  interested  in  your  endeavor  and  there  is  a  field 


Entering  the  Field  Abroad  255 

large  enough  here  in  France  for  all;  also,  we  naturally  desire  to  see  the 
combined  work  of  all  the  various  aid  societies  co-ordinated  and  directed 
with  as  little  overlapping  as  possible,  so  that  the  generous  contributions  by 
the  American  people  may  be  used  to  the  best  possible  advantage. 

I  am  sending  copies  of  this  letter  to  Major  Murphy  of  the  Red  Cross  and 
to  Mr.  Carter  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  with  the  suggestion  that  you  three  gentle- 
men have  a  conference  and  discuss  tlie  general  broad  lines  of  your  respective 
fields,  after  which  it  is  believed  the  questions  involved  can  finally  be  arranged 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all,  in  conference  with  representatives  of  mv  General 
Staff. 

In  accordance  with  your  request,  I  return  herewith  the  letters  of  intro- 
duction you  so  kindly  sent  me. 

Again  please  accept  my  sincere  thanks  and  appreciation  of  the  kind  offer 
of  the  Supreme  Board  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  which  you  represent. 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

(signed)         John  J.  Pershing. 

The  conference  suggested  by  General  Pershing,  between 
Mr.  Kernan  and  the  officials  of  the  Red  Cross  and  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  was  held  at  the  earliest  opportunity,  and  Mr.  Kernan  was 
able  to  report  in  his  letter  of  thanks  to  General  Pershing  on 
November  20,  1917,  that  *'  after  very  thoroughly  considering 
and  discussing  the  general  broad  lines  of  the  respective  fields 
of  activity  of  the  three  societies,  I  am  most  pleased  to  advise 
you  that  we  agree  that  the  work  which  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
propose  doing  will  co-operate  with  theirs  [the  Red  Cross  and 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.],  and  that  there  will  be  comparatively  little,  if 
any,  overlapping."  This  letter  was  indorsed  by  Major  J.  H. 
Perkins,  Commissioner  for  France  of  the  American  Red  Cross, 
who  wrote:  "The  American  Red  Cross  approves  of  the  plan 
for  the  coming  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  into  the  field  and 
will  gladly  co-operate  in  every  way  possible ;  "  and  by  E.  C. 
Carter,  Chief  Secretary  for  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  writing:  "The 
A.  E.  F.  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  is  desirous  of  co-operating  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  on  lines  indicated  to  the  fullest  possible 
extent."  When  Commissioner  Kernan  delivered  this  letter  to 
General  Pershing,  the  General  said,  in  substance,  that  the  cor- 
respondence with  him  covered  the  right  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus to  carry  on  relief  work  within  the  zones  of  the  armies  and 


256      The  Kmghts  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

that  the  matter  was  closed,  and  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  write 
him  or  the  General  Staff  as  to  details.  Official  recognition  was 
given  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  by  the  issuance  of  General 
Order  No.  63,  which  included  the  Knights  of  Columbus  among 
the  instructions  concerning  the  identification  and  whereabouts 
of  the  personnel  of  the  A.  E.  F.,  including  militarized  civilians. 
This  order  constituted  a  patent,  so  far  as  the  A.  E.  F.  was 
concerned,  of  equal  power  with  the  letter  sent  to  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  from  the  Chairman  of  the  War  Department's  Com- 
mission on  Training  Camp  Activities  in  June,  1917,  welcoming 
the  Knights  to  work  in  the  camps  at  home.  Yet  circumstances 
in  France  were  such,  that  it  was  physically  impossible  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  work  with  the  same  celerity  that  followed  the 
receipt  of  the  War  Department's  letter  by  the  executives 
at  home.  France  suffered  grievously  for  lack  of  means 
of  transportation  through  the  drain  of  men  and  material 
in  the  war,  and  this  lack  placed  great  obstacles  in  the  path 
of  immediate  organization.  Commissioner  Kernan  had  vis- 
ited the  large  embarkation  camps  and  the  concentration  camps 
and  the  front.  In  consultation  with  the  representatives  of 
those  agencies  already  active  in  the  field  he  had  gathered  a 
complete  knowledge  of  the  difficulties  that  beset  the  Knights  in 
their  attempt  to  commence  work  on  a  large  scale  overseas.  He 
decided  that  the  safest  procedure  would  be  to  return  to  the 
United  States  and  report  to  the  Committee  on  War  Activities 
and  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors  the  entire  facts  as  he  found 
them,  and  to  make  recommendations  for  their  decision.  These 
recommendations  were,  in  short,  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
should  not  undertake  canteen  work  (a  position  the  Knights  had 
adopted  from  the  very  beginning  of  their  work  at  home),  that 
they  should  send  abroad  carefully  selected  men  obviously  unfitted 
by  age  or  other  condition  for  military  service,  men  of  practical 
sense,  men  with  trades  at  their  finger-tips,  and  that  wherever  the 
Knights  established  themselves,  simplicity  should  be  the  dom- 
inant note  of  the  surroundings;  that  they  should  have  inexpen- 
sive huts  and  clubs  and  provide  free  creature  comforts  to  the 
men. 


Entering  the  Field  Abroad  257 

Commissioner  Kernan's  report,  delivered  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  held  in  New  York  on  January  16,  1918,  con- 
stituted the  first  information  of  an  eyewitness  which  the  Board 
had  received  concerning  the  task  it  faced  abroad  in  introducing 
Knights  of  Columbus  war  relief  service.  Mr.  Kernan  had  left 
behind  him  in  France  the  sturdy  pioneers  of  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus work  with  the  A.  E.  F.,  the  chaplains  whose  labors  made  the 
first  favorable  impression  for  the  Knights,  an  impression 
engraved  on  the  hearts  of  all  the  young  fighting  men  with  whom 
they  came  into  contact. 

Once  Commissioner  Kernan's  report  was  received,  and  the 
Board  came  to  understand  the  proportions  of  the  task  they  had 
undertaken,  irritating  delay  in  getting  started  overseas  was  sub- 
ordinated to  a  restless  eagerness  to  be  up  and  over  and  doing. 
The  best  brains  of  the  Order  were  concentrated  on  the  task  and 
the  Knights,  able  to  announce  by  December  31,  1917,  that  in 
home  camps  they  had  75  buildings,  49  Knights  of  Columbus 
chaplains  and  137  secretaries,  while  their  receipt  of  fimds  was 
progressing  most  satisfactorily,  were  also  able  to  direct  their 
full  energies  towards  organizing  and  putting  into  effect  an  elab- 
orate program  of  overseas  activity. 


CHAPTER  XX 
MAKING  HEADWAY  IN  FRANCE 

FULLY  acquainted  by  Commissioner  Kernan's  report  with 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  their  progress  overseas  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  Committee  on  War  Activities  came 
to  a  quick  realization  of  the  immense  task  before  them.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1918,  the  War  Camp  Fund  was  enjoying  remarkable  pros- 
perity; a  majority  of  the  States  had  backed  up  the  entire  project 
by  their  substantial  contributions.  The  domestic  work  was 
flourishing  with  new  buildings  going  up  in  the  camps  every  week 
and  new  secretaries  being  enlisted  for  service.  A  highly  efficient 
domestic  organization  was  in  operation,  fully  capable  of  handling 
the  work  at  home  as  that  work,  with  huge  increments  of  draft 
men  flocking  to  the  camps  and  the  large  increase  in  the  personnel 
at  navy  camps,  grew  to  broader  and  even  gigantic  dimensions. 
Success  had  been  rapidly  obtained  at  home,  and  there  was  no 
difficulty  in  maintaining  it.  Conscious  that  unremitting  effort 
and  unfailing  foresight  had  brought  about  this  success,  when 
there  were  many  hazards  of  failure,  the  Committee  felt  that 
similar  efforts  and  foresight  would  assure  success  overseas. 

Adopting  Commissioner  Kernan's  recommendations,  in  sub- 
stance, a  program  for  an  instant  expansion  of  overseas  work 
w^as  put  under  way.  Two  other  workers,  in  the  persons  of 
Dillon  E.  Mapother  and  C.  P.  Connolly,  were  sent  to  England 
and  France.  In  the  meantime  the  Knights  of  Columbus  per- 
sonnel left  behind  by  the  Overseas  Commissioner  operated  on  a 
small  but  intensive  scale  at  the  ports  of  entry,  the  chaplains 
occasionally  obtaining  facilities  for  visiting  the  front.  The  fact 
that  the  Knights  were  actively  engaged  in  France,  with  the  evi- 
dence of  the  unquestionable  effectiveness  of  their  work  at  home, 
spurred  interest  in  their  undertaking,  with  beneficial  results  for 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  War  Camp  Fund 

An  appeal  for  volunteers  for  service  abroad  was  sent  to  every 
council  in  the  Order  and  recruiting  bureaus  were  established  in 

[258] 


Making  Headway  in  France  259 

the  large  cities  of  the  country.  It  was  first  planned  to  inaugu- 
rate a  system  of  training  in  home  camps  for  the  candidates  for 
overseas  work,  but  the  committee  finally  decided  to  reject  this 
idea.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  highly  desirable  to  get  qualified 
men  across  the  ocean  and  in  action  among  the  troops  as  soon  as 
possible;  secondly,  the  men  called  for  overseas  work  were  men 
of  middle  age,  for  whom  the  chief  attraction  was  the  opportunity 
of  work  on  the  firing  line,  of  patriotic  sacrifice  that  was  really 
one  in  spirit  with  the  fighting  man's.  Work  in  the  home  camps 
was  unquestionably  necessary,  demanding  large  self-sacrifice  on 
the  part  of  all  engaged  in  it,  and  was  as  Important  as  any,  but 
it  lacked  the  glamor  of  the  work  at  the  front.  Men  who  in  their 
enthusiasm  had  volunteered  for  service  abroad  could  not  be 
expected  to  retain  that  enthusiasm  if  subjected  to  training  in 
home  camps,  where  their  tutors  would  probably  have  been  some 
years  their  junior.  Further,  the  experience  of  the  pioneers  in 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  work  in  France  had  proved  that  men 
could  step  from  their  ordinary  avocations  in  time  of  peace  into 
the  maelstrom  of  war,  and  by  sheer  intelligence  and  energy  per- 
form their  work  well  in  strange  surroundings.  Naturally,  where 
a  man  had  made  good  in  camp  work  at  home  and  was  otherwise 
qualified  for  overseas  service  his  experience  made  him  all  the 
more  desirable.  But  in  the  final  reckoning  it  has  been  found 
that  men  who  never  put  foot  into  a  home  camp  have  gone  over- 
seas and  achieved  surprising  success. 

One  wise  provision  the  Knights  made  at  the  outset  —  a  limi- 
tation that  may  have  seemed  severe  at  the  time,  but  that  insured 
for  their  workers  that  respect  from  the  army  which  must  pre- 
cede its  affection  —  that  only  men  obviously  beyond  military  age 
or  unfitted  for  military  service  should  serve  overseas.  In  the 
camps  the  plan  had  been  followed  of  engaging  men  whose  lia- 
bility to  military  service  was  remote ;  so  the  committee  was  quite 
prepared  for  the  Overseas  Commissioner's  recommendation  in 
this  respect. 

Good  men,  heeding  the  appeal  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
applied  for  duty  abroad.    An  overseas  department  was  created, 


260      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

offices  being  secured  in  New  York  to  facilitate  the  handling  of 
men  and  materials  bound  for  Europe.  The  first  group  of 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries,  properly  speaking,  to  sail  for 
France,  went  with  Commissioner  Kernan  in  March,  1918.  They 
were  outfitted  in  the  regulation  officer's  uniform  minus  the  Sam 
Brown  belt  or  the  waist  belt  which  overseas  Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers 
adopted.  A  rate  of  pay  designed  to  meet  personal  living  expenses 
overseas  had  been  adopted  by  the  committee,  and  a  comprehen- 
sive contract  calling  for  a  minimum  of  six  months'  work  was 
required.  Insurance  to  the  extent  of  $5,000  in  a  regular  insur- 
ance company  was  provided  gratis  to  overseas  workers.  The 
routine  of  securing  passports  and  steamship  accommodations 
necessitated  the  establishment  of  special  bureaus  and  caused 
delay  that  was  often  irritating  but  unavoidable.  During  the 
entire  process,  from  application  to  embarkation,  the  Knights  kept 
in  close  contact  with  every  man  venturing  on  overseas  work. 

The  Knights  never  accepted  any  man  for  work  either  at  home 
or  abroad  whose  credentials  were  not  of  the  highest  —  a  man 
indorsed  by  those  who  had  known  him  —  his  neighbors,  his 
parish  priest,  the  officers  of  the  local  Knights  of  Columbus  coun- 
cil. This  insured  the  best  quality  of  men  for  the  work.  No  man 
without  a  sense  of  practical  patriotism  would  have  volunteered 
for  hazardous  work  overseas  when  he  could,  with  every  excuse 
of  age  and  dependents,  have  remained  safely  at  home.  In  those, 
the  bitterest  days  of  the  struggle,  when  the  mere  crossing  of  the 
ocean  involved  the  facing  of  dangers  almost  as  terrible  as  those 
at  the  battle-front,  there  was  nothing  to  appeal  to  the  merely 
curious  or  selfishly  adventurous. 

Having  arrived  in  France  with  his  little  band  of  workers,  every 
man  of  them  measuring  up  to  the  description  implied  in  the  pre- 
ceding paragraphs,  Overseas  Commissioner  Kernan  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  the  work  of  organization.  At  that  time  the  American 
troops  in  France  were  engaged  in  intensive  training  on  a  major 
scale  and  in  holding  a  limited  sector  at  the  front.  The  secre- 
taries at  the  front  threw  all  their  energy  into  their  work.  It 
was  very  difficult  for  the  Commissioner  to  gather  them  at  con- 


A  1^, 


THE  KNIGHTS    OF  C00L1MI50.S  IM  MEAiGE  AMD '^2^32. 


J 


Making  Headway  in  France  261 

ferences  in  Paris  as  they  left  their  posts  at  the  front  most 
unwilHngly,  and  could  not  be  persuaded  to  remain  for  long  away 
from  the  fighting  zones.  The  desire  to  do  things  —  substantial 
things  —  dominated  them.  The  secretaries  assigned  to  the 
combat  troops  were  provided  with  ample  financial  means  to 
secure  shelters  or  huts  of  some  kind  for  clubs  and  materials  for 
the  comfort  of  the  soldiers,  while  those  appointed  as  executives 
were  attending  to  the  task  of  establishing  the  work  solidly  in  the 
large  leave  areas,  and  at  the  embarkation  ports. 

To  further  these  first  steps  towards  placing  the  work  at  the 
front  on  a  secure  basis  another  recommendation  of  Overseas 
Commissioner  Kernan  had  been  acted  upon.  Two  members  of 
the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors,  the  Reverend  Patrick  J. 
McGivney,  Supreme  Chaplain,  and  Mr.  William  J.  Mulligan, 
successor  to  Colonel  P.  H.  Callahan  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  War  Activities,  w-ere  sent  to  France.  Mr.  Kernan  had 
suggested  that,  if  possible,  all  the  Supreme  Directors  visit 
France,  at  different  times,  to  gain  first-hand  knowledge  of  the 
work  for  which  they  were  held  responsible  by  the  Order  and  by 
the  public  who  had  contributed  the  funds  to  support  that  work. 
Mr.  Mulligan  had  been  elected  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
War  Activities  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  for  France.  He  was 
thus,  on  reaching  the  other  side,  able  to  enter  into  the  work  with 
a  full  sense  of  authority  and  responsibility.  With  Father 
McGivney  he  made  a  tour  of  the  principal  points  in  the  lines  then 
being  taken  over  by  the  American  troops.  They  obtained  an 
audience  with  General  Pershing,  who  renewed  his  promise  to 
give  every  assistance  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  —  confirming 
the  interest  he  had  exhibited  in  the  work  when,  the  previous 
Christmas,  he  had  cabled  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Overseas 
Commissioner  then  in  America:  "Please  accept  for  the  mem- 
bers of  your  organization  my  most  cordial  holiday  greetings. 
Let  us  enter  the  new  year  with  full  confidence  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  our  cause  and  the  success  of  our  arms." 

Chairman  Mulligan  was  able  to  inform  General  Headquarters 
that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  ready  and  eager  to  devote 
i8 


262      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

large  funds  to  their  work  in  France.  He  had  been  entrusted 
with  a  credit  of  $2,000,000  with  which  to  put  the  Order's  opera- 
tions for  the  A.  E.  F.  on  an  efficient  basis.  Encouraged  by  their 
reception  everywhere  in  France,  Father  McGivney  and  the  chair- 
man agreed  that  what  might  be  described  as  a  militant  program 
should  be  immediately  adopted  and  carried  out.  Three  weeks 
were  spent  in  routing  the  large  centers  in  France  where  Ameri- 
can troops  were  encamped  by  tens  of  thousands.  Leases  on 
buildings  for  clubs  were  acquired  in  Brest,  St.  Nazaire,  Bor- 
deaux, Le  Mans,  Toul  and  elsewhere.  Contracts  were  made  for 
the  erection  of  huts  at  these  and  other  centers,  the  leased  clubs 
being  situated  in  the  cities  for  the  convenience  of  the  men  spending 
leave  there;  the  huts  being  designed  for  use  in  the  camps.  The 
huts  constructed  were  of  the  simplest  type,  containing  prac- 
tically the  same  furnishings  as  the  clubs,  facilities  for  music, 
moving  picture  entertainments,  athletic  exercises  and  light  cook- 
ing. In  all  their  advertisements  for  overseas  secretaries  the 
Knights  had  specified  that  cooking  experience  was  highly  desir- 
able, as  it  was  always  a  part  of  their  program  to  provide  the 
soldiers  with  refreshments  not  marked  on  the  ordinary  military 
menu. 

While  Mr.  Mulligan  and  Father  McGivney  were  in  France  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  personnel  was  increased  from  twenty  to 
more  than  fifty  workers.  Overseas  Commissioner  Kernan,  find- 
ing his  personal  affairs  in  such  a  condition  that  his  return  to  the 
United  States  was  imperative,  resigned.  He  had  given  his  serv- 
ices gratis  from  the  beginning  of  his  connection  with  the  work, 
and  he  was  cordially  thanked  in  a  resolution  made  by  the  Board 
of  Directors. 

The  new  chairman  accepted  the  Commissioner's  resignation 
and  appointed  Mr.  Charles  McDougal  Fallen,  son  of  Dr.  Cond^ 
B.  Fallen,  the  well-known  man  of  letters,  to  the  duties  of  acting- 
supervisor  of  the  workers  then  in  France.  The  work  was  in 
full  swing  and  being  finished  with  ever-increasing  energy.  The 
great  handicap  of  lack  of  transportation  facilities  had  been,  in 
some  measure,  pending  the  arrival  of  vehicles  from  the  United 


Making  Headway  in  France  263 

States,  overcome  by  a  loan  of  trucks  from  the  French  Govern- 
ment, secured  through  the  offices  of  High  Commissioner  Tardieu. 
The  French  Government  also  aided  the  Knights  by  assigning 
thirty  soldier-priests  as  interpreters  for  American  soldiers. 
These  French  priests  also  augmented  the  spiritual  work  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  volunteer  chaplains. 

By  the  early  Spring  of  1918  there  were  about  one  million 
American  troops  in  France,  which  means  that  there  were 
approximately  one-quarter  million  young  men  of  the  Catholic 
faith.  As  it  was  physically  impossible  for  the  regular  army 
chaplains  to  attend  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  all  of  these  men,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  volunteer  chaplains,  assisted  by  French 
soldier-priests,  found  themselves  the  busiest  of  the  war  relief 
workers.  Ten  and  twenty  times  the  number  in  France  at  that 
time  could  have  been  employed  to  the  utmost  of  their  capacity, 
for  their  duties  were  manifold  and  their  labors  varied  —  for 
Knights  of  Columbus  chaplains  were  referees  in  athletic  sports 
and  baseball  umpires  as  well  as  priests.  The  system  of  dis- 
tributing the  chaplains  and  workers  was  by  army  divisions. 
This  simplified  recognition  on  the  part  of  the  army  and  organi- 
zation on  the  part  of  the  Knights.  First  attention  was,  of  course, 
paid  to  the  combat  divisions.  To  these,  Knights  of  Columbus 
chaplains  and  secretaries  were  first  assigned,  and  it  was  this 
early  operation  with  the  first  combat  divisions  that  made  the 
name  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  first  blessed  by  the  A.  E.  F. 

No  band  of  men  participating  in  the  war  was  ever  more  per- 
sistently active  than  these  pioneer  Knights  of  Columbus  workers. 
Every  man  was  actuated  at  all  times  by  the  thought  that  as  the 
Knights  had  arrived  late  they  must  make  up  for  lost  time.  In 
no  way,  did  these  men  spare  themselves.  Supplies  from  Knights 
of  Columbus  shipping  quarters  in  New  York  commenced  to 
stream  into  the  clubs  at  the  different  ports.  A  large  storehouse, 
garage  and  executive  headquarters  had  been  leased  in  Paris. 
The  garage  and  warehouse  were  on  the  Rue  Malsherbes;  the 
Paris  and  overseas  headquarters  were  situated  on  the  entire 
second  floor  of  16  Place  de  la  Madeleine,  opposite  the  famous 
Church  of  the  Madeleine. 


264      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  ""^eace  and  War 

In  New  York  and  Washington  the  matter  of  securing  pass- 
ports, visds,  etc.,  seemed  fairly  compHcated.  In  Paris  the  process 
was  most  involved,  much  time  and  effort  being  required  before 
the  red  worker's  permit,  which  the  relief  worker  held  in  lieu 
of  passport,  was  issued.  And  its  issuance  meant  no  more  than 
that  the  holder  could  move  around  the  streets  of  Paris.  Other 
permits  from  both  the  French  and  American  authorities  were 
necessary  before  the  holder  of  a  red  worker's  card  could  pro- 
ceed to  any  other  point  in  France,  and  even  when  secured,  travel 
permits  were  always  most  limited  in  duration,  no  more  than 
necessary  time  being  given  for  the  completion  of  a  journey.  So 
detailed  was  the  system  of  surveillance  that  there  were  two 
classes  of  permits  for  motor  vehicles  —  for  those  with  soft  and 
those  with  hard  tires. 

A  competent  office  force  in  Paris  was  necessary  to  arrange 
matters  for  the  incoming  secretaries  and  chaplains,  who  by  the 
early  Spring  of  1918  were  arriving  with  welcome  regularity. 
Not  only  was  this  executive  force  installed,  but  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  warehouse  and  garage  became  the  center  of  lively 
activities,  tons  of  material  being  housed  and  exported  by  means 
of  a  motor-truck  transport  system  —  at  one  time  seventy  tons 
of  material  a  day  were  sent  from  this  warehouse  to  the  front. 
Considering  this  clear-cut  piece  of  organization  work  amid  the 
general  chaos  then  reigning  in  France,  with  the  enemy  rushing 
on  towards  Paris  and  all  but  demoralizing  the  Allied  armies 
before  the  American  divisions  were  properly  trained  for  action, 
one  becomes  deeply  impressed  with  the  quiet  determination  with 
which  the  Knights  addressed  themselves  to  the  accomplishment 
of  the  most  difficult  tasks  of  their  war  w^ork  problem. 

Everybody  connected  with  the  small  organization  in  France 
worked  to  the  utmost  of  his  capacity,  from  the  chairman  down 
to  the  newest  arrival.  Even  at  that  early  stage  the  Knights  intro- 
duced new  things  for  the  troops,  specializing  in  shower  baths 
when  they  learned  how  much  the  boys  missed  the  American 
custom  of  frequent  bathing  —  the  first  battery  of  twelve  showers 
being  secured  in  an  unused  amusement  park  near  Bordeaux. 


Making  Headway  in  France  265 

Free  distribution  of  all  creature  comforts  at  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  clubs  was  a  welcome  feature  to  the  soldiers  from  the 
beginning.  The  club  on  the  Rue  Malsherbes,  occupying  two 
floors,  soon  became  a  magnet  to  men  visiting  Paris  on  account 
of  this  and  other  novel  attractions,  including  free  billiard  parlors 
and  capacious  reading  and  music  rooms.  By  degrees  the  execu- 
tive and  general  staffs  were  enlarged,  and  although  the  work 
from  the  start  was  one  of  feverish  haste,  speed  was  maintained 
without  waste  while  no  fatigue  could  overcome  the  zeal  of  those 
engaged  in  the  great  work. 

Even  with  the  heavy  demand  for  every  available  man  with 
the  men  in  the  front  lines,  the  Knights  did  not  forget  the  tens 
of  thousands  of  men  in  training  in  England  in  an  environment 
entirely  new  to  them,  and  even  more  conducive  to  nostalgia, 
since,  in  England,  the  American  troops  were  not  animated  by  the 
immediate  prospect  of  battle.  Chairman  Mulligan  selected  a 
secretary  who  had  shown  an  aptitude  for  work  of  an  executive 
character  during  his  short  stay  in  France.  Edgar  A.  Sharp,  of 
Patchogue,  L.  I.,  was  sent  to  London  as  Knights  of  Columbus 
Commissioner  for  the  British  Isles,  a  small  staff  accompanying 
him.  Headquarters  were  opened  in  Haymarket,  near  Trafalgar 
Square,  London,  and  work  instantly  commenced  in  the  great 
American  camp  at  Winchester,  where  a  Knights  of  Columbus 
tent  was  erected. 

In  France  the  chaplains  and  secretaries  would  not  permit  the 
lack  of  permanent  local  quarters  to  hinder  them  from  serving 
troops.  Often  the  only  shelter  a  chaplain  or  secretary  had  was 
the  hat  on  his  head.  He  carried  a  large  satchel  or  valise  of 
cigarettes  and  other  small  comforts  with  him,  and  operated 
quite  efficiently  without  a  hut.  So  in  England,  before  huts  could 
be  erected,  men  had  to  be  served,  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
worker  with  his  motor-cycle  or  his  little  car  or  on  foot,  went 
through  the  camps,  as  his  co-workers  were  going  to  the  front, 
their  packs  on  their  backs,  just  as  the  fighting  man  carried  his, 


266      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

and  distributed  the  little  things  that  helped  to  make  life  com- 
fortable. 

By  the  end  of  May,  1918,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  work  in 
France  was  widespread.  It  was  seen  then  that  it  would  require 
months  of  endeavor  and  large  additions  of  both  personnel  and 
funds  before  even  the  larger  part  of  the  huge  American  Expe- 
ditionary Forces  could  be  reached.  Even  with  the  total  efforts 
of  all  the  organizations,  there  were  entire  regiments  untouched 
by  war  relief  workers.  Not  only  regiments,  but  battalions  and 
on  occasions  even  companies,  w^ere  isolated  to  do  some  special 
duty.  To  the  credit  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  they  made  it 
their  special  endeavor  to  reach  these  small  units  of  men  in  out- 
of-the-way  places,  far  from  the  beaten  track  of  war  relief  work. 
Official  recognition  of  this  was  given  by  Chairman  Fosdick  of 
the  War  Department  Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activi- 
ties, when,  in  a  frank  survey  of  the  worth  of  the  various  organi- 
zations, he  said  of  the  Knights  that  they  had  "  done  good  work 
among  some  of  the  scattered  units  so  located  that  they  received 
little  attention  from  some  of  the  other  societies." 

Early  in  June,  1918,  Supreme  Chaplain  McGivney  and  Chair- 
man Mulligan  returned  to  New  York,  where  a  report  was  imme- 
diately made  to  the  Committee  on  War  Activities.  The  Com- 
mittee was  well  satisfied  with  the  progress  that  had  been  made. 
Mr.  Mulligan  indorsed  the  campaign  for  overseas  secretaries 
which  the  committee  had  inaugurated  shortly  before  his  depart- 
ure for  Europe,  when  Commissioner  Kernan  had  cabled  for 
men.  The  appeal  was  sent  broadcast  throughout  the  country, 
the  press  giving  it  wide  publicity.  The  response  of  the  appeal 
was  overwhelming,  and  the  Knights  found  themselves  with  a 
large  body  of  men  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  choose  from 
for  their  future  drafts  of  workers  for  Europe.  In  the  final 
analysis  it  was  shown  that  out  of  over  seven  thousand  volunteers 
the  Knights  had  selected  but  eleven  hundred  and  fourteen. 

In  accordance  with  the  plan  of  having  the  work  supervised 
by  members  of  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors,  Dr.  E.  W. 


<A    Ifew 


Making  Headway  in  France  267 

Buckley,  Supreme  Physician,  and  Supreme  Director  James  J. 
McGraw  proceeded  to  France  immediately  after  consultation 
with  Mr,  Mulligan.  With  them  went  the  Honorable  Lawrence 
O.  Murray,  newly  appointed  Overseas  Commissioner  for  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  Mr.  Murray,  who  had  earned  distinc- 
tion in  the  public  service  as  Comptroller  of  the  Currency  under 
three  different  administrations  —  Mr.  Roosevelt's,  Mr.  Taft's 
and  Mr.  Wilson's  —  left  an  important  post  with  the  Air  Board 
to  join  the  Order's  overseas  forces.  His  experience  was  deemed 
of  especial  value  by  the  War  Activities  Committee,  on  account 
of  his  special  training  and  experience. 

Dr.  Buckley  and  Messrs.  McGraw  and  Murray  journeyed  to 
Paris  where  they  found  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  doing 
excellent  work.  They  arrived  at  a  fortunate  time  to  render  aid 
in  expanding  the  young  organization  which  in  the  coming  sum- 
mer was  experiencing  the  heaviest  demands,  for  the  war  was 
furiously  waging.  In  fact,  the  end  of  June,  1918,  saw  the  great 
struggle  rapidly  approaching  its  climax.  On  all  fronts  fighting 
was  severe.  The  personnel  of  the  Knights  overseas  was  being 
augmented  by  every  steamer  arriving  at  English  and  French 
ports  from  the  United  States  —  many  of  the  secretaries  also 
crossing  on  troop-carrying  ships,  where  they  organized  games 
and  other  diversions  for  the  troops. 

Commissioner  Murray  immediately  proceeded  to  take  full 
charge  of  overseas  affairs,  and  Dr.  Buckley  and  Mr.  McGraw 
m.ade  a  tour  of  Knights  of  Columbus  stations  at  the  front  — 
their  observations  resulting  in  suggestions  for  the  improvement 
of  the  service,  which  were  promptly  acted  upon.  From  France 
they  went  to  England  where  they  opened  the  first  Knights  of 
Columbus  club  in  London,  on  the  Edgeware  Road.  After  a  brief 
survey  of  activities  in  the  British  Isles  they  returned  to  the 
United  States  in  time  to  give  the  benefit  of  their  observations  to 
Edward  L.  Hearn,  Past  Supreme  Knight,  who  had  been 
appointed  Overseas  Commissioner;  jointly  with  Lawrence  O, 
Murray. 


268      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

By  this  time  the  overseas  department  of  the  committee  had 
been  thoroughly  organized  at  home.  WilHam  P.  Larkin  of  the 
Supreme  Board  of  Directors,  had  been  elected  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  War  Activities,  together  with  Supreme  Advocate 
Joseph  C.  Pelletier.  Mr.  Larkin  was  named  American  Director 
of  Overseas  Work,  while  Supreme  Secretary  William  J.  McGin- 
ley,  under  the  newly  centralized  organization  became  Director 
of  Domestic  Activities. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
WORK  FOR  THE  NAVY 

IF  those  who  contributed  to  the  war  reHef  funds  were  asked 
what  they  considered  the  objective  of  the  war  relief  work, 
they  would,  no  doubt,  say  the  man  in  the  trenches  —  the 
soldier.  The  bulk  of  war  relief  work  was  done  for  the  army. 
But  the  navy  received  its  due  share  of  care.  The  Knights  of 
Columbus  gave  of  their  best  in  personnel  to  the  Naval  Training 
and  Marine  Corps  camps.  From  the  moment  these  camps  were 
opened,  the  Knights  were  on  the  ground,  erecting  buildings,  and, 
during  the  course  of  their  erection,  giving  entertainments  in  bar- 
racks buildings  or  any  other  available  place,  but  always  doing 
something  for  the  men. 

The  recreational  work  was,  of  course,  of  the  same  nature  as 
that  done  in  the  army  camps.  The  only  apparent  diiference  was 
in  the  books  in  the  libraries ;  in  the  naval  camps  the  shelves  were 
stocked  with  books  relating  to  nautical  science — technical  books 
—  which  an  industrious  recruit  could  study  in  his  leisure  time 
and  thus  stock  himself  with  mental  material  for  advancement. 
All  told,  the  Knights  maintained  forty-four  buildings  in  naval 
and  marine  training  camps,  requiring  a  personnel  of  approxi- 
mately 100  secretaries.  This,  however,  is  not  the  full  measure 
of  the  work  the  Knights  did  for  the  navy.  The  men  of  the  navy 
had  equal  use,  with  the  men  of  the  army,  of  all  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus buildings  or  clubs,  wherever  situated.  They  were  always 
welcome,  as  were  the  men  of  the  army,  to  subordinate  council 
rooms  everywhere.  The  chaplains'  services  were  also  theirs  for 
the  asking.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  entertainment  programs 
at  the  naval  buildings  were  of  the  same  character  as  those  at  the 
army  buildings,  and  the  same  quality  and  proportionate  quantity 
of  creature  comforts  were  supplied  free  to  the  men  of  both 
services. 

The  chief  difference,  if  it  can  be  considered  a  difference,  rather 
than  merely  a  change  of  condition,  from  the  service  rendered  the 

[269] 


270      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

army  was  in  the  matter  of  athletics  for  the  navy.  In  the  training 
camps  it  was  a  simple  problem,  there  the  seamen  lived  on  land 
and  enjoyed  land  sports,  but  on  shipboard  recreation  for  the 
sailors  had  to  be  designed  for  space  limitations. 

The  Commission  handling  relief  activities  for  the  navy  con- 
tained some  of  the  same  personnel  as  that  of  the  army.  No  relief 
workers  were  stationed  on  vessels  of  the  Navy,  as  they  were,  for 
months,  on  Army  transports.  The  navy  afloat  had,  from  the 
beginning,  its  own  morale  officers  aboard  every  ship.  As  this 
personnel  was  supplied,  it  became  necessary  for  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  and  other  war  relief  organizations  only  to  furnish 
material.  After  conferences  between  the  representatives  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Jewish  Welfare  Board, 
and  the  Navy  Department,  it  was  decided  that  a  common  chest  to 
contain  athletic  supplies  should  be  maintained  by  the  three  relief 
organizations  mentioned.  The  expense  was  shared  on  the  basis 
of  quotas  in  the  United  War  Work  Fund  Drive.  The  Knights 
of  Columbus  contribution,  under  this  arrangement,  was  more 
than  $200,000.  The  equipment  was  placed  on  board  400  ships  of 
the  navy. 

While  this  joint  benefaction  did  not  give  the  Knights  an  oppor- 
tunity to  display  that  characteristic  personal  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  sailors  at  sea  that  they  would  have  preferred,  yet  it 
was  the  most  practical  way  in  which  to  serve  the  men,  and  the 
Knights  augmented  it  by  devoting  themselves  to  the  care  of  the 
men  of  the  navy  when  they  touched  port  and  spent  leave  ashore. 

Activity  inside  the  naval  camps  never  flagged.  Some  of  these 
camps  were  as  large  as  military  cantonments.  The  Naval  Train- 
ing Station  at  the  Great  Lakes  was  one  of  the  largest  commands 
of  any  kind  in  the  country,  upwards  of  40,000  naval  recruits 
being  trained  there  at  one  time.  Here  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
had  six  buildings  in  constant  operation  —  the  largest  number 
they  had  in  any  Naval  Camp.  At  Fort  Crockett,  Galveston, 
Texas,  the  Knights  maintained  three  buildings;  at  the  Marine 
Station,  Paris  Island,  S.  C,  four  buildings;  at  the  great  U,  S. 


Work  for  the  Navy  271 

Naval  Training  Station  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  five  buildings;  at 
Pelham  Bay,  N.  Y.,  two  buildings.  The  other  naval  stations  and 
camps  where  they  maintained  buildings  during  the  war  were: 
Naval  Rifle  Range,  Annapolis;  Navy  Yard,  Brooklyn;  Naval 
Training  Station,  Bumkin  Island;  Naval  Training  Station, 
Block  Island;  Merchant  Marine  Base,  East  Boston;  Naval  Sta- 
tion, Bremerton;  U.  S.  Naval  Training  Station,  Balboa  Park; 
Wissihicken  Barracks,  Cape  May;  Naval  Base,  Chatham;  Navy 
Yard,  Charleston;  Naval  Station,  Gulf  port;  Naval  Operating 
Base,  Hampton  Roads;  Naval  Station,  Bingham;  Naval  Station, 
Key  West ;  Mare  Island ;  Naval  Training  Station,  Newport ;  Sub- 
marine Base,  New  London ;  Algiers  Naval  Station,  New  Orleans ; 
Naval  Station,  Portsmouth;  Navy  Yard,  Philadelphia;  Naval 
Training  Station,  Pensacola ;  Marine  Station,  Quantico,  and  the 
Naval  Station,  San  Pedro. 

It  was  at  Paris  Island  that  one  of  the  first  educational  activi- 
ties ever  undertaken  in  any  camp  recreational  building,  was  inau- 
gurated. Here  in  the  Summer  of  1918,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
commenced  a  class  in  mathematics,  in  order  to  encourage  young 
enlisted  men  to  try  for  commissions.  The  course  was  intensive, 
lasting  eight  weeks,  and  the  classes  numbered  from  ten  to  twenty- 
five.  Many  who  might  not  otherwise  have  had  the  opportunity, 
qualified  for  commissions  by  virtue  of  this  initial  training  in 
mathematics  received  in  the  Knights  of  Columbus  class.  This 
helpful,  educational  assistance  was  rendered  in  all  other  Knights 
of  Columbus  buildings,  wherever  practicable.  The  Knights 
afterwards  donated  the  school  to  the  Marine  Corps. 

A  genuine  distinction  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
work  for  the  navy  inasmuch  as  Pelham  Bay  was  the  only  camp 
in  the  country  to  receive  condensed  grand  opera  —  a  Knight  of 
Columbus,  the  well-known  singer,  Thomas  Egan,  having  intro- 
duced this  feature  in  a  series  of  weekly  entertainments  given 
in  the  large  Knights  of  Columbus  building  there. 

The  question  of  spiritual  care  for  the  Catholic  men  in  the  navy, 
who  numbered  anywhere  up  to  40  per  cent  —  the  explanation 


212      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

for  this  unusually  high  proportion  is  founded  on  the  fact  that 
physical  requirements  for  the  Naval  service  were  stricter  than 
those  for  the  army  —  was  one  not  so  easily  answered  as  the  same 
question  regarding  the  men  in  the  army.  While  some  regiments 
might  not  have  Catholic  chaplains,  though  containing  a  large 
number  of  Catholic  men,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  chaplains 
attached  to  the  division  could  find  time  to  attend  in  some  measure 
to  their  religious  needs.  In  the  navy  this  was  impossible,  while 
the  ships  were  at  sea.  No  Knights  of  Columbus  volunteer  chap- 
lains could  accompany  a  ship.  The  utmost  the  Knights  could 
do  was  to  see  that  the*  Catholic  members  of  the  crew  were  well 
supplied  with  religious  articles,  such  as  rosaries,  etc. ;  and  to 
provide  for  instant  spiritual  aid  to  boys  desiring  it  when  they 
reached  shore. 

In  Europe  the  Knights  of  Columbus  won  a  deserved  reputation 
for  the  zealous  care  they  gave  the  men  of  the  navy.  In  the 
British  Isles  the  Knights  of  Columbus  clubs  were  largely  patron- 
ized by  sailors.  The  club  at  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  was  head- 
quarters at  one  time  or  other,  for  almost  all  the  men  of  the 
Atlantic  Squadron.  In  London,  too,  the  Knights  were  always 
up  and  doing  to  give  the  sailors  a  warm  and  substantial  welcome ; 
while  at  the  various  ports  in  France,  Knights  of  Columbus  secre- 
taries were  always  on  hand  when  a  ship's  crew  got  shore-leave, 
to  guide  and  serve  them.  The  Knights  provided  scores  of  beds 
nightly  and  hundreds  of  hot  meals  daily  to  American  sailors 
visiting  British  and  French  ports.  The  efficiency  of  the  work 
overseas  came  to  the  attention  of  Vice-Admiral  Sims,  in  com- 
mand of  the  American  Navy  in  European  waters.  The  Admiral 
expressed  his  pleasure  and  gratitude  in  the  following  concise, 
but  impressive  message : 

*  *  *  Upon  relinquishing  my  duties  as  Commander  of  the  U.  S. 
Naval  Forces  in  Europe,  on  behalf  of  the  Navy,  I  wish  to  convey  my 
sincere  thanks  and  appreciation  of  the  excellent  service  w^hich  has  been 
rendered  by  your  organization  in  aiding  the  spiritual  and  material  welfare 
of  the  men  of  the  Navy. 


Work  for  the  Navy  273 

Effective  work  of  this  kind,  which  fosters  contentment  and  better  morale, 
is  of  real  mihtary  value  and  the  record  of  your  organization  is  an  important 
one  in  this  respect. 

I  'beg  to  remain, 

Yours  sincerely, 

Wm.  S.  Sims, 

Admiral  U.  S.  Navy. 

For  the  Marines  the  Knights  did  splendid  service  at  the  front, 
notably  at  Chateau-Thierry,  where,  during  the  height  of  the 
German  offensive,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  men  served  from 
Caf^  du  Nord.  a  little  inn  which  they  had  secured  for  headquar- 
ters. It  was  here  that  the  great  German  offensive  reached  its 
culmination,  and  it  is  a  proud  record  for  America  that  it  was  her 
troops  that  turned  the  tide. 

One  especial  event  in  athletics  for  the  navy  was  inaugurated 
by  the  Knights  —  an  event  that  has  made  athletic  history  in 
Europe.  The  celebrated  regatta  on  the  Seine  originated  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  who  were  of  material  assistance  in  train- 
ing the  competing  teams  and  in  supplying  materials  for  such 
training. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  Atlantic  Squadron  to  New 
York,  the  Knights  did  their  best  work  for  the  Navy.  The 
squadron  had  been  in  foreign  waters  from  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  and  it  returned  home  with  the  resplendent  title  "Victory- 
Fleet."  The  Knights  surpassed  themselves  in  their  work  for  the 
fleet.  The  ships  were  anchored  in  the  Hudson  River.  Every- 
day the  Knights  of  Columbus  sent  tugs  and  barges,  loaded  with 
good  things,  to  the  different  ships,  giving  every  man  jack  on 
board  what  he  desired  in  the  way  of  small  luxuries.  When  the 
men  came  ashore  the  Knights  had  information  tents  at  ferry 
landings  with  trained  workers  to  aid  the  boys  in  every  way.  The 
men  were  given  limitless  tours  about  the  great  metropolis,  and 
were  fed  and  entertained  in  hospitable  fashion  throughout  their 
stay.  Knights  of  Columbus  care  for  their  well-being  was  even 
demonstrated  in  so  small  but  effective  a  way  as  supplying  ke}- 
maps  of  the  positions  of  the  ships  of  the  fleets,  to  the  tens  and 


274      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

hundreds  of  thousands  of  persons  who  thronged  the  river-front 
eager  to  visit  the  fleet. 

Some  weeks  later,  in  the  early  Spring,  when  other  ships  of  the 
Victory  Fleet  arrived,  a  similar  program  of  activity  was  arranged 
by  the  Knights.  On  this  occasion,  the  Knights  won  universal 
applause  by  taking  advantage  of  the  engagement  of  the  Barnum 
&  Bailey  (Ringling  Brothers)  Circus  at  the  huge  Madison  Square 
Garden,  to  purchase  six  entire  performances  for  free  entertain- 
ment of  the  men,  thus  insuring  a  day  at  the  circus  for  every 
member  of  the  fleet. 

Thousands  of  young  sailors  and  their  oflicers,  hailing  from  all 
parts  of  the  country,  went  from  New  York  with  memories  of 
Knights  of  Columbus  hospitality.  In  this  way  the  Knights  were 
able  to  impress  upon  the  men  of  the  Navy  the  esteem  in  which 
they  were  held  by  the  Nation,  for  it  was  only  through  the  gener- 
ous contributions  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  that  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  other  organizations  for  war  relief 
could  make  provision  for  the  care  and  entertainment  of  the  men 
in  the  Service. 

As  with  the  Army,  where  the  Knights  of  Columbus  earned 
the  gratitude  of  units  isolated  from  larger  bodies  of  troops  and 
unattended  by  other  societies,  so  with  the  Navy,  the  Knights  made 
it  their  endeavor,  in  serving  the  military  personnel  on  the  trans- 
ports, not  to  overlook  the  men  of  the  Navy  or  U.  S.  Merchant 
Marine  who  composed  the  crews.  Knights  of  Columbus  sec- 
retaries were  always  welcomed  by  the  crews  of  the  transports, 
who  showed  their  friendliness  by  helping  the  secretaries  in  their 
daily  rounds  among  the  wounded  and  sick. 

The  Knights  had  108  men  engaged  in  transport  work.  They 
had  carried  this  work  to  a  high  standard  of  efficiency,  when  the 
Government  decided  that  no  civilians  should  be  permitted  to  work 
on  transports  after  the  middle  of  June,  1919.  The  Knights  then 
withdrew  their  men,  but  continued  furnishing  creature  comforts 
to  the  transports  for  the  use  of  the  soldiers  and  crews  —  over  and 
beyond  the  comforts  provided  soldiers  in  a  package  which  was 
filled  in  common  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
and  the  Jewish  Welfare  Board,  the  Knights  paying  as  their  share 


Work  for  the  Navy  275 

22.8  per  cent  of  the  cost.  These  transport  secretaries  performed 
most  useful  and  necessary  work  in  entertaining  the  soldiers  with 
motion  pictures,  concerts,  providing  them  with  tobacco,  sweet- 
meats and  games,  and  attending  the  sick  and  wounded  at  whose 
service  they  were  constantly,  no  matter  how  arduous  the  task. 

The  transport  secretaries  also  did  a  most  important  work  in 
connection  with  the  re-employment  of  returning  troops.  They 
distributed  among  the  men,  and  aided  them  in  filling  out,  the 
employment-system  cards  which  the  Knights  of  Columbus  used 
in  finding  thousands  of  places  for  returned  men,  and  thus  helped 
materially  to  steady  the  nation's  transition  from  war  to  peace. 
At  the  time  of  the  withdrawal  of  the  transport  secretaries  at 
the  Government's  request,  more  than  half  the  total  of  the  Ameri- 
can Expeditionary  Forces  had  been  returned  to  this  country,  but 
no  reason  was  given  why  the  secretaries  could  not  remain  on  the 
ships  doing  their  very  useful  work  until  the  last  troops  had 
reached  America. 

On  hospital  ships  the  Knights  placed  generous  supplies  for 
the  wounded.  The  Knights  found  that  cold  drinks  were  more 
appreciated  than  any  other  thing  by  wounded  and  seasick  soldiers. 
So  tons  of  fruit-syrup  were  distributed  by  the  Knight  of  Colum- 
bus among  the  hospital  and  troop-ships  for  the  benefit  of  the  men 
on  board,  and  delicacies,  like  jam  and  crackers,  were  provided 
in  abundance. 

But  where  the  work  for  the  navy  seemed  to  be  of  the  greatest 
value  was  in  the  service  houses  which  the  Knights  operated 
entirely  free  of  charge  in  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Detroit  and  other  cities.  The  handsome  house  on  Berkeley  Street, 
Boston,  was  typical.  Here  the  Knights  provided  nightly  over 
700  free  beds  for  men  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  with  free  baths, 
free  breakfasts,  consisting  of  doughnuts  and  coffee,  free  barber 
service,  free  laundry  and  free  tailoring.  It  was  altogether  the 
most  popular  hotel  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  for  not  a  night 
passed  Avithout  its  being  packed  to  the  doors.  Its  spacious  dor- 
mitories were  always  lined  with  cots,  while,  when  necessary,  the 
billiard  and  other  rooms  were  made  to  accommodate  the  over- 
flow.    The  reputation  of  this  hotel,  which  had  provided  every- 


276      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

thing  from  shower  baths  to  shoe-shining,  and  all  free  of  cost, 
became  established  in  the  navy  from  ocean  to  ocean.  Upwards 
of  250,000  men  in  service  enjoyed  its  hospitality  during  the  war, 
and  its  success  was  in  a  large  measure  due,  as  was  the  success 
of  all  other  Knights  of  Columbus  service  stations,  to  the  noble 
and  indefatigable  co-operation  of  Catholic  women  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Knights  opposed  to  the  utmost 
an  attempt  to  oblige  them  to  charge  for  their  beds  in  this  hostel. 
Naturally,  when  the  men  could  obtain  high  class  accommodations 
and  good  hot  food,  free  of  charge,  they  resented  being  asked  to 
pay  for  it  elsewhere.  But  the  Knights  insisted  as  against  the 
War  Department,  which  sought  to  make  them  change  their  policy, 
that  they  would  be  unfaithful  to  their  trust  if  they  charged  when 
they  had  based  their  entire  plea  to  the  public  for  support,  on  a 
policy  of  charging  for  nothing.  And  the  Knights  continued 
giving  their  hospitality  to  the  boys  without  cost. 

In  great  naval  camps,  in  huge  fleet  units  and  in  the  navy  as  a 
whole,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  established  for  themselves  a 
reputation  for  efficient  service.  It  w^as  an  unusual  time,  and  hos- 
pitality was  a  symbol  of  the  gratitude  of  defended  for  the 
defenders.  The  Navy  Department  itself  went  on  record  officially 
(after  Secretary  Daniels,  two  years  before,  had  warmly  praised 
the  Knights  for  their  work  for  the  men  of  the  navy)  as  being 
highly  appreciative  of  the  great  service  rendered  by  the  Knights 
to  the  navy,  and  expressing  the  desire  —  in  strange  contrast  to 
the  general  recommendation  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Commission 
on  Training  Camp  Activities  that  civilian  organizations  'should 
be  allowed  no  longer  to  undertake  relief  work  for  the  fighting 
forces  —  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  would  continue  their 
work  in  times  of  peace.  x\ssistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  Roose- 
velt's letter,  written  in  the  Summer  of  1919,  while  he  was  acting 
Secretary,  is  a  full  tribute  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  in  sustaining  the  morale  of  the  navy : 

The   department,   Mr.    Roosevelt    wrote     to    Supreme   Knight    Flaherty, 
desires  to  extend  the  gratitude  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  United  States 


Work  for  the  Navy  277 

Navy  for  all  the  many  good  things  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  done  for 
them  during  the  war.  The  efficiency  of  your  organization  has  been  well 
matched  by  the  constant  desire  of  the  individual  worker  to  serve  the  men 
to  the  best  of  his  ability. 

Its  helpfulness  and  efficiency  has  proven  a  wonderful  aid  to  contentment 
and  fighting  spirit  in  the  navy. 

The  department  is  desirous  that  your  excellent  work  be  continued,  and 
that  the  naval  service,  whether  the  country  is  in  peace  or  at  war,  have  the 
benefit  of  your  splendid  co-operation.  There  is  a  very  constant  need  for 
your   services. 

And  some  months  later,  at  a  banquet  given  by  the  Philadelphia 
Chapter  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  honor  of  Supreme  Knight 
James  A.  Flaherty,  Mr.  Roosevelt  declared : 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  should  be  just  as  active  and  continue  as  it  did 
in  the  war.  If  its  work  should  stop  it  would  be  a  national  calamity.  It  is 
needed  to  combat  discontented  elements.  We  have  in  our  immense  popu- 
lation an  extremely  small  but  dangerous  element.  The  new  campaign  of 
education  is  going  to  make  anarchy  impossible.  Anarchy  is  bred  in  two 
ways,  lack  of  education  and  education  in  untruths.  An  organization  like 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  giving  true  education  will  strike  at  the  roots  of 
the  danger. 

And  so  striking  at  the  roots  the  tree  will  fall.  To  my  dying  day,  I  shall 
always  think  of  James  A.  Flaherty,  Supreme  Knight  of  the  Order  as  a 
great  leader  with  a  soul.  If  it  were  in  the  power  of  the  Navy  to  confer  a 
decoration  on  him  his  name  would  stand  at  the  head  of  the  list. 

What  may  be  termed  the  grand  finale  of  Knights  of  Columbus 
endeavor  for  the  Navy  —  the  last  picturesque  event,  although 
steady  labor  for  the  benefit  of  our  sailors  was  continued  for  some 
time  after  —  was  the  reception  of  the  fleet  of  mine  sweepers 
under  Rear  Admiral  Joseph  Strauss,  which  returned  to  New 
York  in  November,  1919,  after  more  than  two  years'  service  at 
Scapa  Flow  and  in  the  North  Sea  employed  in  what  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  Daniels  described  as  "  the  most  dangerous  work  in  all 
the  dangerous  work  of  warfare."  The  Knights  of  Columbus 
had  served  these  men  faithfully  at  their  ports  of  call  in  Scotland, 
Secretaries  R.  W.  Calderwood  of  Vancouver  (familiarly  known 
to  the  3500  boys  of  the  squadron  as  "Scotty"),  Allen  Glenn, 
19 


278      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Andrew  Burke  and  Matthew  F.  Shanley  of  New  York  City 
having  been  assigned  for  many  months  to  the  mine-sweepers, 
whose  opportunities  for  recreation  were  necessarily  fewer  than 
those  of  other  branches  of  the  service. 

In  New  York  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  at  one  of  the  best 
hotels  in  the  metropolis,  celebrated  the  homecoming  of  these 
hardy  men  by  tendering  them  a  banquet  which  no  less  a  person 
than  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  described  as  "  a  splendid  feast." 
More  than  two  thousand  of  the  men  were  guests,  and  during  the 
dinner,  in  responding  to  Supreme  Knight  Flaherty's  welcome  as 
host,  Secretary  Daniels  declared:  ''We  men  of  the  Navy  are 
deeply  obligated  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus:  we  must  thank 
them  heartily  for  this  and  ten  thousand  other  courtesies.  They 
are  our  friends  and  have  been  from  the  beginning." 

Out  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  gave  the 
men  of  the  Pacific  Fleet  the  most  cordial  reception  it  had  ever 
received  in  its  period  of  service.  The  men  were  met  at  the  vari- 
ous Pacific  ports  by  every  conceivable  opportunity  for  entertain- 
ment, being  bombarded  from  the  air  with  gifts  from  the  Knights. 
A  unique  touch  to  the  general  hospitality  displayed  by  the 
Knights  was  the  famed  "  lemonade  cruiser,"  a  water-wagon  filled 
w^ith  lemonade,  which  patrolled  the  hot  streets  supplying  thirsty 
sailors  with  continuous  refreshment.  In  general,  the  same  qual- 
ity and  quantity  of  entertainment  showered  upon  the  men  of  the 
Atlantic  Fleet  on  their  arrival  in  New  York  was  generously  given 
to  the  men  of  the  Pacific  Fleet. 

And  in  the  more  serious  matter  of  demobilization  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  were,  from  the  beginning,  at  the  service  of  the  men 
in  the  Navy.  Proportionately,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  employ- 
ment bureaux  found  as  many  openings  for  sailors  and  marines 
as  for  soldiers,  and  scholarships  and  night-school  courses  were 
awarded  as  generously  to  the  one  as  to  the  other.  Something  of 
the  picturesque  quality  of  relief  work  for  the  Army  in  the  fight- 
ing zones  may  have  been  lacking  in  the  service  for  the  men  of 
Navy;  but  that  service  was  no  less  eflficient,  no  less  vital.  The 
instance  of  the  mine-sweepers,  secretly  active  in  foreign  seas,  is 


Work  for  the  Navy  279 

sufficient  proof.  These  men  had  no  other  contact  with  their 
homes  than  that  provided  for  them  in  the  persons  of  the  genial 
Knights  of  Columbus  workers  who  welcomed  them  on  their 
arrival  in  foreign  ports  and  even  went  out  into  the  dangerous 
seas  to  minister  to  them. 

As  recently  as  January,  1920,  the  Knights  added  to  the  laurels 
already  accorded  them  by  the  men  of  the  navy  with  their  excep- 
tional entertainment  of  the  Pacific  Fleet  on  its  visit  to  the  Orient. 
The  program  included  what  the  sailors  termed  "  a  joy-ride 
through  Japan "  —  sight-seeing,  feasting  and  all  manner  of 
diversions. 

Admiral  Cleaves  placed  himself  on  record  as  profoundly  grate- 
ful for  the  service  rendered  by  the  Knights  in  maintaining  the 
nuorale  of  his  men  in  foreign  waters. 


CHAPTER   XXII 
FIGHTING  SHEPHERDS  AND  THEIR  FIGHTING  FLOCKS 

IN  the  War  the  practical  uses  of  Art  were  rediscovered; 
appeals  to  patriotism  must  be  issued.  The  Catholic  Church 
recognized  this,  and  the  first  poster  issued  by  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  for  their  war  fund  campaign,  symbolizing  the  serv- 
ice which  was  the  most  urgent  reason  for  their  entry  into  war 
relief  work,  represented  a  priest,  surplice-clad,  standing  between 
rows  of  kneeling  soldiers  and  sailors,  with  bayonets  and  banners 
and  smoking  battleships  in  the  background.  In  the  din  and 
clatter  of  war,  the  priest  of  God  w^as  shriving  them,  so  that  they 
could  go  into  the  fight  clean  of  heart  and  soul. 

This  picture  was  graphic  and  stirred  the  emotions ;  but  despite 
all  the  skill  of  the  artist  it  could  only  give  a  shadow  of  the  reality. 
Had  the  Knights  of  Columbus  done  no  other  thing  than  send 
their  pioneer  band  of  priests  to  France,  they  would  have  ren- 
dered to  the  American  army,  and  thus  to  the  nation,  an  inesti- 
mable service.  This  band  consisted  of  seven  priests:  Fathers 
Joseph  Pontur,  Osias  Boucher,  John  B.  De  Valles,  George  C. 
Van  Goetham,  Joseph  M.  Blais,  Camille  Delaux  and  John  J. 
Sullivan;  they  were  followed  by  others  —  in  all  fifty-four  Knights 
of  Columbus  chaplains,  or,  as  the  regulations  demanded  they  be 
styled  — "  volunteer  Chaplains,"  supported  by  the  Knights, 
served  in  France  with  the  A.  E.  F.  They  went  everywhere  with 
their  men,  giving  the  consolations  of  religion  through  all  the  days 
of  the  fighting,  and  preaching  the  Gospel  of  restrain  in  the  reac- 
tion following  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  If  this  book  were 
written  in  the  dignified  historical  tense,  it  might  seem  indecorous 
to  ask  the  stately  muse  to  record  the  titles  given  to  these  priests 
by  popular  usage, —  ''  The  fighting  shepherds  of  fighting  flocks." 

These  priests  went  providentially  to  France,  where  they  were 
sorely  needed  by  the  Americans.  Even  as  late  as  March,  1918, 
Father  Joseph  L.  Quillien,  a  Marist  of  Duluth,  who  had  gone 
overseas  months  after  the  first  Knights  of  Columbus  chaplains, 

[280] 


Fighting  Shepherds  and  Their  Fighting  Flocks    281 

said  that  when  he  arrived  at  Brest  there  were  very  few  priests, 
that  is,  regular  army  chaplains,  with  the  men.  Most  of  the  work 
among  the  Americans  was  done  by  the  A^olunteer  chaplains, — 
who  did  not  seem  to  object  to  being  called  ''  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus priests."  From  the  transports  at  Brest,  with  every  arriving 
steamer,  scores  of  men  would  be  removed,  suffering  from  pneu- 
monia contracted  in  the  trip  across  the  ocean.  This  disease 
resulted  —  the  men  being  cramped  in  close  quarters  in  foul  air 
—  in  squalor  worse  than  suffered  by  immigrants  in  the  bad  old 
days  of  profiteering  exploiters. 

''  Boys  are  dying  passionately  unhappy  in  the  hospitals  without 
any  religious  help  at  all,"  said  Father  Quillien,  ''  my  hands  are 
full  from  morning  until  night." 

It  was  the  same  in  other  parts  of  France,  especially  at  the 
ports  of  debarkation.  Regular  army  and  navy  chaplains  were 
assigned  to  these  ports,  and  to  other  stations  in  the  interior  where 
they  were  sorely  needed,  but  they  could  not  contend  successfully 
with  the  amount  of  work  to  be  done.  Men  felt  the  need  of  reli- 
gion in  war-swept  France,  as  they  had  never  felt  it  before. 
Suffering  acutely  from  homesickness,  accentuated  by  the  possi- 
bility (made  a  probability  in  the  average  soldier's  imagination) 
that  they  would  never  return  home,  their  demands  for  the  con- 
solation of  religion  were  endless  and  insistent.  They  required 
the  priest  with  them  always,  and  especially  in  the  tense  days 
before  action.  And  yet  entire  regiments,  in  which  there  were 
hundreds  of  Catholic  "boys,"  had  no  priests.  The  volunteer 
chaplains  found  out  these  units  time  and  time  again.  They  were 
almost  mobbed  by  soldiers  who  had  been  hoping  and  praying 
that  a  priest  might  come  to  them  before  they  were  summoned  to 
face  death  in  the  trenches. 

Proceeding  from  Brest  to  Baccarat  to  join  the  Thirty-seventh 
Division,  Father  Quillien  found  that  division  without  a  single 
priest,  and  this  in  March,  1918!  The  division  was  on  the  fight- 
ing line,  in  a  "  quiet "  sector,  yet  with  hundreds  of  men  being 
gassed  every  day.  Morning  and  night  he  worked  to  reach  the 
men.     On  the  fighting  line,  hundreds  of  them  were  in  a  pitiful 


Z'i^Z      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

condition,  gassed,  stupefied,  unable  to  say  what  their  religion 
was,  but  dumbly  grateful  for  the  priestly  hand  raised  to  give 
them  conditional  absolution.  At  Toul  there  were  six  hospitals; 
twenty  thousand  men  there,  and  one  priest!  This  in  the  Spring 
of  1918  —  one  year  after  the  declaration  of  war. 

Although  nobody  in  the  United  States,  outside,  perhaps,  offi- 
cial circles,  knew  of  these  conditions,  yet  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus were  co-operating  to  their  utmost  with  the  Chaplain  Bishop 
Hayes  to  get  as  many  chaplains  over  to  the  fighting  men  as  they 
possibly  could.  There  was  something  providential  in  their 
urgency ;  they  could  not  possibly  have  rendered  a  greater  service 
to  the  nation.  The  presence  of  a  priest  with  a  regiment  that  had 
long  been  denied  one,  was  electrical  in  its  effect.  Men  who  had 
been  brooding  over  their  worries,  a  synonym,  in  most  instances, 
for  their  sins,  would  show  a  new  zest ;  they  would  go  to  confes- 
sion, receive  absolution  and  Holy  Communion,  and  be  new  men, 
better  men,  fitted  to  face  for  their  country's  sake  whatever  the 
horrors  of  battle  held  for  them. 

"  Boys  of  all  faiths  would  come  to  me,"  Father  Blais  reported. 
"  I  travelled  from  battalion  to  battalion  in  action.  I  heard  con- 
fessions and  gave  Communion  at  any  time,  day  or  night,  in  camp 
and  on  the  battlefield.  In  two  compaigns,  when  I  was  at  the 
front,  I  always  carried  the  Blessed  Sacrament  with  me.  I  look 
on  this  as  having  saved  my  life  on  more  than  one  occasion ;  more 
than  once  a  man  was  killed  right  at  my  feet." 

Father  Blais,  one  of  the  first  Knight  of  Columbus  chaplains 
overseas,  arriving  in  France  October,  1917,  served  at  St. 
Nazaire  before  proceeding  to  the  front.  He  managed  a  club  at 
that  port,  where  there  were  usually  15,000  Americans;  he  had 
secured  the  club  house  by  skillful  procedure  at  a  time  when  it 
was  not  known  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  would  be  per- 
mitted to  do  relief  work  with  the  A.  E.  F.  Secretary  Vincent 
Scully,  of  Vermont,  took  charge  of  the  club  when  Father  Blais 
went  to  the  front.  At  the  front  Father  Blais  was  always  under 
fire  —  in  the  Marne,  at  St.  Mihiel  and  in  the  Argonne.  He  was 
entrusted  with  the  burial  record  of  the  Fourth  Infantrv  for 


.A  I^, 


THE  KNIOHTS    OF  COLllMIM]]^  IN  MEAjCOE  AMB  ""^^^^^^ 


KniBhts  of  ColumbuB  Chaplains  Overseas  In  December.  1917. 

SUnding;    Rev.  G.  C.  Van  Goethamj  Rev.  J .  B.  De  Valles.  C.  de  G; 

Rev.  OKiaE   Bnuoher,  0   de  G.       Se;aed.  from  left  to  rieht  are: 

Rev.  Caniille  De  Loux;    Rev.  Michael  Nivard;   Rev.  J.  M.  Blaia. 


Fighting  Shepherds  and  Their  Fighting  Flocks    283 

some  weeks.  He  slept  in  dug-outs  and  in  shell-holes,  and  was 
treated  for  gas-poisoning  more  times  than  he  remembered.  He 
left  the  war  with  the  conviction  that  men  knew  how  to  die  when 
they  had  their  priests  with  them. 

"  There  was  a  boy  named  Gilles  hit  by  a  machine-gun  bullet," 
Father  Blais  reports.  "  He  came  from  Brooklyn  and  was  a  good, 
pious  boy.  He  called  for  me  as  soon  as  he  was  wounded.  He 
felt  death  approaching  and  he  faced  it  like  a  Christian,  magnifi- 
cently. '  Tell  mother  I  tried  to  do  my  very  best  to  the  very  end ' 
were  his  last  words."  Father  Blais  anointed  the  lad,  there  in 
the  dark,  with  hundreds  of  other  wounded  lying  around,  a  candle 
sputtering  fitfully  in  the  recess  of  a  dug-out  near  at  hand. 

''  The  war  made  men  think  of  God,"  Father  Blais  has  recorded. 
''  They  would  often  say  the  '  Our  Father  '  and  '  Hail  Mary  * 
when  they  thought  nobody  could  hear  them.  I  knew  a  major 
who  was  killed.  He  thought  he  was  an  atheist,  but  he  seemed 
to  have  a  premonition  of  death.  He  was  eager  to  have  me  attend 
the  Catholic  boys  of  his  battalion,  and  also  the  other  boys.  He 
made  ready  for  his  end,  which  came  to  him  quite  suddenly." 

The  tale  is  typical.  Every  Catholic  priest  reported  the  same 
phenomenon  —  a  revival  of  faith  amid  the  terrors  of  the  battle- 
field ;  a  revival  through  fear,  certainly,  but  through  fear  of  God, 
not  through  fear  of  death.  Those  men  were  not  afraid  to  face 
death;  they  were  afraid,  pitifully  afraid,  of  the  awful  suspense 
and  agony  of  anticipation.  But  when  death  came  they  faced 
it  out  with  gritted  teeth  and  fists  clenched. 

Fathers  Osias  Boucher,  John  B.  De  Valles,  James  Eding  and 
William  Hart  were  among  the  priests  often  cited  for  bravery 
at  the  front.  They  wore  the  Knights  of  Columbus  uniform  and 
made  it  loved  wherever  they  served.  Father  Boucher  was  one 
of  the  few  priests  who  undertook  to  form  a  choir  among  the 
men  of  the  regiment  to  which  he  was  attached.  He  celebrated 
Mass  in  dug-outs  in  the  front  line  trenches.  Of  course,  his 
choir  sang  only  during  periods  of  rest  in  the  rear  —  and  it 
suffered  through  casualties.  Father  Boucher  was  with  the  One 
Hundred  and  First  Infantry  of  Massachusetts  most  of  the  time. 


284      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

He  saw  action  at  Chemin  des  Dames,  one  of  the  most  intense 
pieces  of  fighting  front  anywhere.  Back  to  Rochefort,  on  to 
Braisne,  to  Brienne-le-ChSteau,  and  then  a  five-day  march  to 
Trompeau,  then  to  relieve  the  EngHsh  at  Bucq;  on  to  Reuilli- 
court  and  Bracy,  reHeving  troops  of  the  First  Division.  Violent 
action  was  encountered  at  Fredmont  Farm.  Through  this  and 
much  more  Father  Boucher  lived,  ministering  hour  by  hour  and 
minute  by  minute  to  his  men. 

Father  Boucher  devoted  himself,  like  all  other  Catholic  chap- 
lains, to  the  recreational  as  well  as  religious  occupation  of  the 
men.  In  the  daytime  he  would  manage  to  evade  insistent  requi- 
sitions upon  his  time  in  order  to  snatch  an  hour  or  tw^o  of  sleep. 
But,  as  night  approached,  he  would  reappear  in  the  front  line 
trenches,  his  pockets  bulging  with  Knights  of  Columbus  creature 
comforts  —  chewing  gum,  chewing  tobacco,  cigarettes,  gum 
drops,  etc.  He  w^ould  go  the  rounds  of  the  sentries,  whispering 
encouragement  to  them,  giving  them  something  to  chew,  saying 
a  decade  of  the  rosary  with  them,  hearing  confessions  and  giving 
Holy  Communion. 

"  Many  a  Protestant  boy  has  come  to  me,"  he  reported,  and 
said,  '  I  know  nothing  about  the  Catholic  religion,  but  I  always 
go  to  Mass  on  Sunday.  There  is  something  in  it,  I  don't  know 
what  it  is.  We  see  how  your  boys  behave  when  they  receive 
the  Sacraments.    We  want  to  go,  too.'  " 

Non-Catholic  and  Jewish  soldiers  would  go  to  him  for  rosa- 
ries, which  the  Knights  supplied  in  abundance  to  all  chaplains. 
And  this  was  the  experience  of  many  other  priests. 

Father  Boucher  was  cited  by  the  French  Government  and 
decorated  with  the  Croix  de  Guerre.  The  citation  was  for  work 
done  during  a  raid  on  the  French  lines  —  sustaining  the  men  by 
his  presence  and  advice.  The  War  Cross  was  awarded  to  him 
for  his  valor  in  anointing  the  dying  under  an  intense  enemy 
barrage.  General  Edwards  of  the  Twenty-sixth  Division, 
A.  E.  F.,  also  cited  Father  Boucher  for  valorous  work  during 
•the  fighting  at  Chateau-Thierry. 


Fighting  Shepherds  and  Theik  FiGiiiiNG  Flocks    285 

General  Edwards  had  reason  to  pay  public  compliment  to  the 
bravery  of  Father  De  Valles  also,  who  served  with  his  divi- 
sion. Father  De  V^alles  received  the  Croix  de  Guerre  for  his 
courage  in  going  over  the  top  with  men  in  attack  after  attack 
and  for  rescuing  a  badly  wounded  boy  at  the  risk  of  his  life, 
crawling  over  "  No  Man's  Land,"  finding  the  lad,  and  bearing 
him  to  safety  on  his  back. 

At  a  public  banquet  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Boston, 
Major-General  Edwards,  pointing  to  Father  De  Valles,  who  had 
then  but  recently  returned  from  Europe,  described  him  as  one 
of  "  the  bravest  of  men."  General  Edwards  declared  he  had 
seen  Father  De  Valles  at  an  advanced  dressing  station,  stag- 
gering through  sheer  fatigue  with  a  stretcher  bound  tq  his 
wrists  with  wire,  the  wire  cutting  through  the  flesh  to  the  bone, 
carrying  in  the  wounded  hour  after  hour.  Saying  Mass  in  dug- 
outs, with  altars  of  planks  improvized  by  doughboys  as  ingenious 
as  they  were  devout,  in  barns  and  ruined  churches.  Father 
De  Valles,  like  all  the  other  brave  chaplains,  faced  death  every 
moment  and  seemed  to  escape  it  by  miracles. 

Father  William  Hart,  of  St.  Paul,  saw  service  with  the  One 
Hundred  and  Third  Infantry,  comprising  men  from  the  Middle 
West.  These  men  saw  such  hard  and  relentless  fighting  in  the 
St.  Mihiel  sector,  that  they  were  unrelieved  for  days.  Utterly 
weary,  they  fought  on.  The  Germans  sent  fresh  troops  against 
them.  It  was  more  than  flesh  and  blood  could  endure.  With  a 
vicious  gas  and  flame  attack  let  loose  upon  them,  they  faltered 
from  asphyxiation.  Father  Hart,  standing  at  the  head  of  the 
crevice  between  two  sharply  rising  hills,  through  which  the  men 
were  to  rush  at  the  enemy,  handed  each  some  raisins  or  a  piece 
of  hard  candy  —  precious  comfort  in  those  terrible  moments 
preceding  the  onrush  that  might  end  in  death.  How  trifling  it 
seemed,  but  how  really  important!  He  saw  the  discouragement 
of  those  weary  men.  Their  officers  were  being  sniped  one  by 
one.  They  seemed  to  be  without  leaders.  He  has  a  clear, 
resonant  voice.  Sharply  he  summoned  the  non-commissioned 
officers,  and  some  of  the  smartest  privates.  Rapidly  he  gave  them 


286      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

temporary  promotions  to  fill  the  emergency  —  second  lieuten- 
ants, lieutenants  and  captains.  They  went  on,  well-led,  into  the 
withering  enemy  fire,  gained  their  objective,  a  net-work  of 
trenches,  and  held  it  stubbornly  until  reinforcements  arrived  and 
the  gain  was  made  sure. 

The  commander  of  the  division  officially  attested  Father 
Hart's  remarkable  presence  of  mind. 

An  entire  book  could  be  written  of  the  dramatic  episodes  that 
crowded  the  lives  of  these  Knights  of  Columbus  chaplains  at 
the  front.  Exciting  as  was  the  experience  of  the  secretary,  that 
of  the  chaplain  was  more  so.  He  saw  the  unveiled  heart  of  the 
soldier.  He  who  had  studied  men's  souls  in  peace,  when  life 
seemed  secure,  saw  souls  stripped  in  the  very  agony  of  self- 
realization  when  life  was  just  a  step  to  death.  Their  deeds  are 
written  in  places  more  durable  than  books  —  deep  in  immortal 
souls  where  the  record  is  eternal. 

The  secretaries  bear  witness  to  the  extraordinary  circum- 
stances under  which  the  Catholic  chaplains  labored.  Sometimes, 
even  on  the  verge  of  action,  there  would  be  extraordinary 
instances  of  men.  Catholic  men,  made  abnormal  by  gas  and 
shocks  unwilling  to  go  to  the  Sacraments.  The  priests  would 
find  them,  suggest  Confession,  implore  them,  and  end  by  com- 
manding. They  were  always  where  the  men  needed  them,  so 
far  as  it  was  physically  possible  for  them  to  be.  They  had 
served  on  the  transports  going  through  the  danger  zone  on  the 
way  to  Europe,  and  they  remained  with  them  —  wherever  the 
men  went,  in  the  line  and  out  of  it,  and  back  again.  While  the 
regiment  was  resting,  the  chaplain  did  not  rest.  There  were 
men  in  the  hospitals,  of  his  regiment  and  of  other  "outfits." 
They  had  to  be  attended.  They  were  attended.  Not  one  of  the 
thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  who  saw  service 
overseas  has  so  much  as  breathed  the  suspicion  that  the  priest- 
chaplains  ever  failed  to  respond  to  the  call  of  duty. 

In  his  experiences  related  by  Father  Thomas  J.  O'Connell,  of 
St.  Patrick's  parish,  San  Jos^,  California,  who  served  as  a 
Knights  of  Columbus  chaplain  with  the  Eighty-second  Division, 


Fighting  Shepherds  and  Their  Fighting  Flocks    287 

he  touches  on  the  amazing  diversity  of  the  men  who  were  served 
by  the  chaplains  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

"There  were  28,000  men  in  the  division  for  me  to  look  after 
as  best  I  could."  runs  his  statement.  "  My  work  took  me  out  to 
the  front,  to  hear  Confessions  and  to  say  Mass.  I  was  auto- 
driver,  expressman  and  everything  else  that  a  willing  worker 
could  be.  On  the  occasion  of  a  gas  attack  I  attended  every  man 
in  the  field  artillery  —  970  in  all.  One  boy  was  a  Congrega- 
tionalist.  I  told  him  I  was  a  Catholic  priest.  '  Buddy,'  I  said, 
*  Fm  going  to  say  a  little  prayer  for  you  to  repeat.'  And  I  whis- 
pered a  brief  act  of  Contrition.  'Am  I  dying?  '  he  said.  '  No,' 
I  replied,  '  but  I  see  you  are  suffering.'  I  moved  to  another  cot, 
but  he  called  me  back.  '  Father,'  he  said,  '  will  you  repeat  that 
prayer  for  me  ? '  I  did  and  he  said :  '  You  can't  appreciate  what 
comfort  that  gives  me.'  He  gripped  me  by  the  hand  as  he  said 
this.  Johnny  Salmon,  the  K-C  Secretary,  was  with  me  at  that 
time,  and  I  remember  how  he  stayed  up  all  night,  after  the 
doctors  had  warned  him  to  go  to  bed,  helping  to  save  the  life  of 
a  poor  fellow  badly  gassed." 

At  Rhinecourt  one  day  Father  O'Connell  had  a  Jewish  top- 
sergeant  prepare  the  altar  for  his  Mass,  and  the  sergeant  made 
a  thorough  job  of  it. 

"  The  Eighty-second  Division  called  itself  the  All-American," 
said  Father  O'Connell.  "  But  we  called  it  the  All-Alien,  for  we 
had  Italians,  Jews  and  every  other  race." 

He  reports  that  the  chaplains  would  hear  confessions  in  every 
conceivable  place,  at  all  hours  —  even  to  meeting  their  penitents 
in  the  road  and  walking  with  them  as  they  confessed.  This  tes- 
timony and  that  of  other  priests,  secretaries,  who  saw  Catholic 
and  Protestant  chaplains  side  by  side  say  the  last  prayers  over 
the  fallen,  and  who  also  saw  Catholic  and  non-Catholic  chaplains 
lying  dead,  side  by  side,  on  the  battlefield,  reveals  the  touching 
union  of  sincere  hearts  in  belief  in  the  consolation  of  religion. 
He  recalls  an  instance  of  a  Jewish  officer  who  served  Mass, 
carrying  water  to  the  priest  at  the  Offertory;  he  also  recalls 
how  Chaplain  O'Toole,  of  Los  Angeles,  attached  to  the  Three 


288      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Hundred  and  Seventh  Sanitary  train,  gained  permission  for 
two  Jewish  boys  of  ''  the  outfit  "  to  go  some  distance  to  attend 
the  Hebrew  services  for  the  Feast  of  the  Passover. 

No  less  than  in  the  carnage  abroad,  the  Knight  of  Columbus 
chaplain  at  home,  in  the  great  training  camps,  did  his  full  duty. 
Quietly  he  labored  for  the  thousands  of  young  men  passing 
through  the  camps  on  their  way  to  the  fighting  line.  The  chap- 
lain, when  needed,  was  always  in  his  little  room  in  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  building  to  give  advice,  to  hear  Confessions  to 
anoint  the  dying,  to  bind  in  matrimony,  to  baptize,  to  effect 
reconciliations  between  estranged  sons  and  their  parents,  and  to 
console  weeping  women  who  trembled  at  leaving  their  men.  The 
Knights  of  Columbus  supported  throughout  the  war,  eighty-five 
chaplains  in  the  home  camps. 

When  the  influenza  epidemic  infested  the  camps  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  chaplains  were  at  their  posts  of  duty  going  through 
ward  after  ward,  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  no  less  than  if  they 
had  been  in  the  thick  of  battle.  With  the  secretaries  aiding, 
fearlessly,  ceaselessly,  their  combined  efforts  were  of  vital  assist- 
ance to  the  military  medical  authorities  in  combating  the  sudden 
and  altogether  unexpected  attack  on  the  vitality  of  the  army  and 
the  nation. 

Just  as  of  old,  in  the  days  of  St.  Louis,  the  priests  of  the 
Church  went  with  the  armies  to  the  battlefield  and  through  the 
flame  of  the  fighting,  so  in  this  war  the  chaplains  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  and  the  regular  army  chaplains  shared  the  dangers 
the  men  had  to  face. 

The  Reverend  Edwin  O'Hara  went  into  the  tanks  with  the  fight- 
ing men,  absolving  them,  as  the  great  caterpillar  forts  rolled  into 
action.  The  Reverend  John  Moran  of  Eugene,  Oregon,  after 
having  said  Mass  on  one  occasion  in  one  place  at  the  front  at  6 
A.  M.,  left  with  an  aviator  to  say  Mass  in  another  place  fifty  miles 
distant  at  7.30  a.  m.  Although  non-combatants,  they  felt  that 
their  manhood  forced  them  to  fight,  for  the  methods  of  some  of 
the  enemy  divisions  were  often  unsoldierly,  demanding  all  the 
forced  reprisals.     Father  O'Connor  of  Boston,  who  went  over- 


Fighting  Shepherds  and  Their  Fighting  Flocks    289 

seas  as  a  Knights  of  Columbus  chaplain,  was  commissioned  a 
regular  army  chaplain  en  route.  He  fed  a  machine-gun  through 
one  night  of  intense  fighting,  when  the  regular  crew  had  been 
nearly  all  wiped  out.  He  was  offered  a  commission  as  a  line 
officer  on  the  field  of  battle,  but  declined  it. 

Thrilling  in  its  sadness  and  a  striking  example  of  the  patriot- 
ism of  the  American  Catholic  priest  was  the  death  of  Chaplain 
Lieutenant  William  F.  Davitt,  of  Holyoke,  Massachusetts. 
Father  Davitt  was  attached  to  the  125th  Infantry  of  the  Fifth 
Army  Corps.  At  9.45  on  the  morning  of  November  11,  1918  — 
just  one  hour  and  a  quarter  before  the  armistice  went  into  effect 
and  firing  ceased,  he  leaned  over  the  parapet  of  a  trench  to  wave 
an  American  flag  at  some  boys  he  had  served,  when  a  sniper's 
bullet  killed  him.  He  was  the  last  American  to  fall  on  the  battle- 
field. Father  Davitt  w^as  originally  a  Knights  of  Columbus  chap- 
Iain  at  Camp  MacArthur,  but  was  commissioned  before  leaving 
the  camp  for  overseas  service.  He  was  attached  to  St.  Ann's 
Church,  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  before  enlisting  for  war  service 
with  the  Knights.  Another  Knight  of  Columbus  and  Catholic 
chaplain  was  killed  shortly  before  hostilities  ceased  —  the  Rever- 
end Colman  E.  O'Flaherty  of  Mitchell,  South  Dakota,  whom 
Major-General  McGlachlin,  of  the  First  Division,  characterized 
as  "  a  gallant  and  a  noble  soldier  who  gave  his  life  in  administer- 
ing to  the  needs  of  the  wounded."  Father  O'Flaherty  w^as 
awarded  the  Distinguished  Service  Cross,  posthumously. 

In  addition  to  aiding  always,  with  funds  and  in  every  other 
practicable  way,  the  chaplains  who  wore  their  uniform,  the 
Knights  assisted  substantially  all  other  Catholic  chaplains  in  the 
army  and  the  navy,  for  these  priests  naturally  looked  to  the 
Knights  when  relief  was  needed.  Father  Duffy  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Sixty-fifth  Infantry,  the  old  Sixty-ninth  New  York 
National  Guard  Regiment  —  beloved  friend  of  the  fighting  men 
—  called  frequently  upon  the  Knights  for  aid,  and  a  story  was 
once  printed  in  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  recounting  how  Father 
Duffy  had  been  given  the  freedom  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 


290      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

warehouse  at  Coblenz,  when  his  regiment  was  stationed  at 
Remagen,  Germany.  Father  Duffy  and  an  orderly  went  into 
the  warehouse  empty-handed,  to  emerge  laden  with  good  things 
for  the  regiment,  even  to  packs  of  playing  cards  and  a  photo- 
gravure portrait  of  General  Pershing !  Nothing  was  too  small  for 
him  to  grasp,  that  was  good  for  any  of  his  men ! 

When  Chaplain  Edward  Kelly  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Division, 
whose  gallantry  earned  for  him  not  only  the  French  Croix  de 
Guerre  but  the  American  Distinguished  Service  Cross,  conceived 
the  idea  of  an  elaborate  celebration  of  Midnight  Mass  for  Chris- 
mas,  at  Montfort,  he  placed  the  arrangements,  even  to  electric 
installation,  in  the  hands  of  Secretary  J.  H.  Sheehan,  head 
Knights  of  Columbus  man  of  the  division,  with  the  utmost  faith 
that  his  desires  would  be  accomplished,  a  faith  justified  by  the 
event.  Chaplain  Kelly  repaid  this  aid,  when,  in  the  triumphant 
parade  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Division  in  New  York  City,  he 
opposed  those  who  objected  to  the  participation  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  in  the  parade.  Father  Kelly  insisted  that  the 
Knights'  wagons  be  permitted  to  accompany  the  marching  men. 

Early  in  the  war,  some  Catholic  army  chaplains,  not  realizing 
the  many  obstructions  which  the  Knights  had  first  to  overcome 
before  they  could  even  begin  their  service  overseas,  were  inclined 
to  complain  of  the  tardiness  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus;  but, 
once  the  Knights  gained  admission  to  the  A.  E.  F.  and  got  into 
their  "  stride,"  these  chaplains  were  the  first  to  ask  for  their  aid, 
and  to  express  gratitude  for  it.  "  The  Knights  of  Columbus," 
wrote  Chaplain  Coakley  of  Pittsburgh,  "  have  opened  our  eyes. 
They  have  done  wonderful  work."  The  Knights,  ever  desirous 
of  assisting  the  priests,  saw  to  it  that  the  Catholic  chaplains 
abroad,  both  "  volunteer  "  and  "  regular,"  were  assisted  to  the 
utmost. 

It  may  be  well  to  note  in  this  connection  that  the  supervision 
and  direction  of  all  chaplains'  activities  was  solely  in  the  hands 
of  the  Right  Reverend  Patrick  J.  Hayes,  D.  D.,  who  was 
appointed  by  the  Holy  Father  as  Military  Bishop  for  the  United 
States  Army  and  Navy.     This  means  that  the  selection  and 


THE  KNIOBIT^    OF  COLllMBllS  IM  PIEAjCE  ABCD  "^5^^ 


The  Right  Reverend  Mon- 

sipnor  Major  iN.Y.G.) 

JAMES   N.   CONNELLY 


The  Most  Reverend  PATRICK  J.  HAYES.  D.D. 

Archbishop  of  New  Yorli  and  Chaplain  Biahop 

of  the  U.  S.  Army  and  Navy 

g   ANNA  FRANCES    LEVINS 


lU.  S.)    GEOKGE  J.    WARING 


Fighting  Shepherds  and  Their  Fighting  Flocks    291 

appointment  of  the  chaplains  both  commissioned  and  uncommis- 
sioned rested  with  the  Chaplain  Bishop  and  the  chaplains  received 
their  faculties  from  him  and  were  obliged  to  make  their  reports 
directly  to  his  office.  Bishop  Hayes  divided  the  entire  United 
States  and  the  areas  occupied  by  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  into  vicariates,  each  of  which  was  presided  over  by  a 
military  Vicar-General.  The  Atlantic  Vicariate  was  taken  care 
of  by  Chancellor  and  Military  Vicar-General,  the  Right  Reverend 
Monsignor  George  J.  Waring,  the  Overseas  Vicariate  by  the 
Right  Reverend  Monsignor  James  N.  Connolly,  the  Great  Lakes 
Vicariate  by  the  Right  Reverend  Monsignor  William  M.  Foley, 
the  Gulf  Vicariate  by  the  Right  Reverend  Monsignor  Leslie  J. 
Kavanagh  and  finally  the  Pacific  Vicariate  by  the  Right  Reverend 
Monsignor  Joseph  M.  Gleason.  The  Secretary  to  the  Chaplain 
Bishop  was  the  Reverend  Joseph  P.  Dineen  and  the  Executive 
Secretary  at  Washington,  the  Reverend  Lewis  J.  O'Hern,  C.  S.  P. 
To  Monsignor  Connolly  and  his  secretary,  the  Reverend  Ernest 
Marsh,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  accorded  accommodation  in 
their  Paris  headquarters,  with  transportation  and  all  possible  aid 
in  their  exacting  labors.  Every  resource  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  organization  was  at  the  service  of  the  vicar  chaplain's 
organization. 

Priestly  ministration  in  time  of  disease  or  danger  of  death,  at 
home,  on  the  sea,  or  overseas,  were  a  daily  feature  of  army 
life  —  the  chaplains  supported  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  mak- 
ing this  humanly  possible.  But  the  other  displays  of  religion  — 
the  magnificent  field  Masses  at  home  and  abroad,  made  their 
profound  mark  upon  the  men  w^ho  witnessed  them,  Catholic  and 
non-Catholic  alike.  Before  and  after  the  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities  these  picturesque  religious  events  were  held  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  They  were  the  occasion, 
overseas,  of  scenes  which,  but  for  a  change  in  the  garb  of  the 
fighting  men  present  and  in  the  accoutrements  they  bore,  might 
have  taken  place  on  ancient  Christian  battlefields.  Up  to  the  time 
of  the  armistice  these  striking  religious  ceremonies  were  held, 
and  after  the  armistice  they  became  more  frequent.  In  undevas- 
tated  Germany  the  facilities  for  religious  ceremonies  were  much 


292      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War. 

superior  to  those  left  to  war-worn  France.  To  the  enemy  as  to 
Catholic  France  vivid  demonstrations  were  made  of  the  faith  of 
the  American  Catholic  soldier. 

An  event  which  particularly  touched  the  hearts  of  the  French 
Catholic,  was  the  celebration  of  the  Feast  Day  of  Bl.  Joan  of  Arc 
at  the  Church  of  St.  Denis  in  Paris,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  "  This  celebration,"  Leslie's  Weekly 
recounts,  "  attracted  many  hundred  of  American  soldiers  while 
Paris  was  gaily  attending  the  Longchamps  races!"  The 
Memorial  Day,  1919,  services  in  the  Cathedral  at  Antwerp,  at 
which  no  less  a  world  dignitary  than  Cardinal  Mercier,  Primate 
of  Belgium,  celebrated  Pontifical  Mass  and  delivered  the  sermon, 
were  deemed  of  such  international  importance  that  the  report  of 
the  event  was  cabled  to  all  parts  of  the  English-speaking  world. 

His  Eminence  Cardinal  Bourne  of  England  was  one  of  the  first 
European  prelates  to  preside  at  a  Knights  of  Columbus  religious 
function,  that  of  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the  first  projected 
Knights  of  Columbus  building  in  his  diocese.  But  the  Knights 
initiated  their  remarkable  program  of  public  religious  celebra- 
tions with  the  observance  of  x\ll  Soul's  Day,  in  memory  of  the 
American  dead,  in  the  Cathedral  of  Notre-Dame,  Paris,  on 
November  1,  1917,  when  the  prospect  of  victory  was  most  remote. 

It  was  only  natural,  with  this  event  as  a  precedent,  that 
Memorial  Day,  when  it  duly  arrived,  should  find  the  Knights  well 
prepared  to  foster  its  celebration.  Throughout  England  and 
France  and  the  Rhineland,  and  in  Belgium  and  Italy  at  points 
where  the  Knights  of  Columbus  operated,  no  American  cemetery 
was  unvisited  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  workers,  who  laid 
their  tributes  of  flowers  and  prayers  on  the  graves  of  the  fallen. 
In  England,  Commissioner  Edgar  A.  Sharpe  stated  at  the  time, 
a  wreath  was  laid  on  every  American  service  man's  grave.  Espe- 
cially significant  was  the  Knights  of  Columbus  memorial  service 
in  Genoa,  Italy,  w^here  under  the  shadow  of  the  very  house  w^here 
Christopher  Columbus  had  once  made  his  home,  the  Knights  paid 
tribute  to  American  sailors  who  had  found  their  final  rest  in  the 
ancient  citv. 


Fighting  Shepherds  and  Their  Fighting  Flocks    293 

This  religious  work  on  the  part  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
done  quietly,  it  is  needless  to  say,  was  most  reverently  received  in 
France.  Through  scores  of  chaplains  and  hundreds  of  secre- 
taries, the  Knights  of  Columbus,  unconsciously  gave  France  a 
most  convincing  object-lesson  in  American  Catholic  devotion  to 
the  Faith,  In  response  to  the  desire  of  the  Americans  to  visit  the 
shrines  of  France,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  organized  tours  to 
Lourdes  for  the  fighting  men.  The  French  were  surprised  and 
edified  at  this  exhibition  of  devotion.  There  was  something  so 
manly  in  the  attitude  of  the  soldiers  that  a  French  poet  who 
imagined  that  Americans  were  indifferent  and  irreligious,  writes : 
"  What  simple  and  direct  faith !  It  is  worthy  of  Marshal  Foch 
and  Maurice  Barrfes !" 

In  Paris,  on  Good  Friday,  1919,  the  most  impressive  religious 
service  held  in  the  history  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces 
in  Europe  took  place  when  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  having 
secured  permission  from  the  authorities  of  Notre-Dame  de  Paris, 
held  a  service  there  for  the  public  adoration  of  the  cross.  Ten 
thousand  Americans  packed  the  great  edifice ;  the  Cardinal  Arch- 
bishop of  Paris,  Monseigneur  Amette,  presided.  This  stirring 
scene  was  the  witness  of  a  new  democracy  on  its  knees  in  devotion 
to  the  Christ  and  His  Holy  Mother  in  the  great  church  where 
wild-eyed  License  had  worshipped  the  Goddess  of  Reason  some- 
what over  a  hundred  years  before. 

At  Marseilles,  at  the  Church  of  Notre-Dame  de  la  Garde,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  served  breakfasts  to  the  men  who  had 
received  Holy  Communion.  At  the  Cathedral  of  Bourges  in  1918 
the  Knights  conducted,  in  splendid  pomp,  a  Thanksgiving  Day 
service,  and  also  one  in  Paris,  where  three  Cardinals,  Amette  of 
Paris,  Lu^on  of  Reims  and  Andrieu  of  Bordeaux,  assisted.  The 
student  of  history  who  knew  what  the  Puritan  Feast  of  Thanks- 
giving had  originally  meant,  when  founded  in  New  England, 
made  note  of  this.  It  seemed,  indeed,  a  reversal  of  things  to  see 
three  Prelates  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  celebrating  a  day 
which  had  been  accentuated,  in  order  to  wipe  out  the  "  papist " 
feast  of  Christmas  from  the  annals  of  American  history ;  but  the 

20 


294      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

soul  of  Columbus  must  have  rejoiced,  and  the  Reverend  Cotton 
Mather  probably  viewed  the  scene  from  another  world  with 
clearer  eyes. 

Not  only  at  the  front  —  where  war  had  made  their  Faith 
more  dear  to  hitherto  nominal  French  Catholics  —  but  all  over 
France,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  are  now  known  to  the  French 
people,  first  of  all,  as  practising  Catholics,  proud  of  their  Faith. 
Marvelling  at  the  intense  devotion  of  the  American  Catholic  sol- 
dier, cur^s  have  written  many  letters  praising  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  obedient  sons  of  the  Church,  for  their  zeal  in  providing 
means  and  occasions  for  the  exercise  of  their  religion.  Catholic 
Frenchmen  will  never  forget  this  contact  with  Catholic  Ameri- 
cans, they  have  met  and  they  know  one  another  to  be  one  in  ideals. 

The  respect  inspired  in  the  French  people  was  nowhere  better 
illustrated  than  in  a  church  in  the  south  of  France,  where  Ameri- 
can convalescent  soldiers  were  led  to  the  altar  rail  by  Knights  of 
Columbus  secretaries.  As  the  wounded  Americans  passed,  every 
man,  woman  and  child  rose  and  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  their 
eyes  resting  sympathetically  on  their  brothers  in  the  love  of 
Christ. 

The  test  of  the  success  of  the  religious  work  carried  on  for  the 
A.  E.  F.  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  is,  of  course,  its  effect  on 
the  men  themselves.  It  was  permanently  beneficial.  No  soldier 
accused  the  Knights  of  Columbus  of  obtruding  religion  upon  him, 
although  the  means  to  practice  it,  when  requested,  were  always 
provided.  The  value  of  the  impression  produced  in  European 
countries  is  shown  by  requests  from  England,  France,  Italy  and 
Belgium  received  by  executives  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in 
Paris,  that  attempts  be  made  to  persuade  the  Supreme  Board  of 
Directors  to  extend  the  organization  permanently  to  those  coun- 
tries. His  Holiness  Pope  Benedict  XV  personally  suggested  to 
Overseas  Director  William  P.  Larkin  of  New  York  during  the 
latter's  visit  to  the  Vatican,  that  a  Knights  of  Columbus  Club  be 
established  in  Rome.  Pope  Benedict  had  heard  innumerable  laud- 
atory reports  of  the  excellent  work  done  by  the  Knights  of 


Fighting  Shepherds  and  Their  Fighting  Flocks    295 

Columbus  secretaries  in  Rome  in  attending  to  Catholic  and  non- 
Catholic  American  service  men  visiting  the  eternal  city.  Secre- 
tary William  Ellard  of  Seattle,  Washington,  for  ten  months  in 
charge  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  club,  procured  audiences  with 
the  Holy  Father  on  more  than  a  hundred  occasions,  each  time  con- 
ducting American  service  men  into  the  presence  of  His  Holiness. 
The  singular  esteem  in  which  the  Romans  held  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  was  made  evident  in  the  Spring  of  1919,  when  the 
rupture  at  the  Peace  Conference  over  the  British  and  American 
opposition  to  Italian  claims,  resulting  in  the  Italian  prime  minis- 
ter's withdrawal  from  the  conference,  caused  serious  demonstra- 
tions against  the  Americans  in  Rome.  As  a  measure  of  discretion 
the  American  flag  was  removed,  even  from  the  American 
embassy ;  but  the  flag  was  kept  flying  over  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus club,  which  passed  through  the  turmoil  unmolested. 

The  Supreme  Pontiff  himself  so  favorably  impressed  with 
the  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  and  chaplains, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  European  Catholics,  wherever  they  had 
occasion  to  witness  or  hear  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  should 
be  eager  to  have  the  organization  extended  to  their  countries. 
The  poetic  fitness  of  this  demonstration  of  the  Faith  of  the  New 
World  to  the  Old  World  from  which  that  Faith  was  derived  is 
fascinating  to  every  Catholic  mind.  To  the  troubled  Old  World 
it  came  as  a  hint,  at  least,  of  the  boundless  resources  of  Catholicity 
in  the  western  hemisphere.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  will  ever 
be  grateful  to  Almighty  God  that  they  were  permitted  to  assist 
their  priests  in  coming  forward  at  the  call  of  their  country. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  frankly  entered  war  relief  work 
as  a  Catholic  association.  Their  Catholicity,  as  well  as  their 
patriotism,  was  the  reason  for  their  action.  Their  success  in  other 
activities  did  not  turn  them  from  their  original  program,  which 
was  to  provide  the  means  for  the  practice  of  their  religion  to  the 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  Catholic  young  men  in  the  Army.  This 
the  Knights  did,  faithfully,  until  the  very  end,  through  devoted 
chaplains  and  secretaries. 


296      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  innumerable  souls  whose  salvation  they  may  have  been  the 
means  of  securing  are  witnesses  in  Heaven  to  the  simple  deter-  | 
mination  with  which  the  Knights  took  up  their  main  work,  and 
the  soldiers  living  among  us  bear  ample  testimony  to  the  truth 
that  this  simple  and  direct  and  manly  service  helped  to  make  them 
better  and  braver  men. 


ST.  IGNATIUS'  RESIDENCE 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
AFTER  THE  ARMISTICE 

FOR  the  Knights  of  Columbus  overseas  forces  November 
1 1th,  1918,  the  day  of  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  brought 
no  diminution  of  effort,  but  only  increased  solicitude  for 
the  soldiers'  welfare.  During  the  days  immediately  preceding 
the  cessation  of  hostilities,  the  executives  in  Paris  had  come  to  a 
realization  of  the  vast  importance  of  initiating  fresh  activities 
while  maintaining  those  already  in  operation  at  even  a  higher 
pitch  than  during  the  actual  fighting.  The  drop  in  esprit  de  corps 
among  the  troops  was  instantly  apparent,  a  most  natural  sequence 
after  the  sudden  halt  in  the  furious  fighting  under  the  strain  of 
which  every  American  in  France  had  been  living  for  months. 
The  secretaries  in  the  field  in  daily  contact  with  the  men  also 
realized  keenly  the  truth  that  the  greatest  benefits  of  war  relief 
work  w^ould  come  with  the  cessation  of  actual  war.  The  entire 
organization  was  keyed  up  to  the  utmost  to  supply  the  new 
demands  made  upon  it  the  instant  the  war  tension  ended. 

When  firing  ceased,  there  were  exactly  420  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus workers  at  the  front,  about  150  in  rear  areas  and  embarkation 
centers,  while  scores  were  on  the  seas  headed  for  Europe.  In 
the  British  Isles  the  Knights  had  a  compact,  competent  band  of 
workers  and  on  the  Continent  the  organization  w^as  functioning 
at  its  best  when  the  sudden  stop  came.  Without  a  pause  secre- 
taries stationed  with  the  army  in  the  field  proceeded  forward 
with  their  units.  Scores  of  these  men  were  serving  combatant 
troops  in  the  foremost  lines  —  were  beside  the  men  who  fired  the 
last  shots  for  democracy. 

From  the  Belgian  front,  where  American  troops  were  brigaded 
with  the  British,  to  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  Swiss  border. 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  went  forward  with  the  Amer- 
ican fighting  men  on  through  reconquered  France  into  the  Rhine- 
land.  In  every  American  camp  in  France  all  eyes  were  turned 
enviously  towards  the  East  —  soldiers  and  welfare  workers  alike 

[297] 


298      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

yearned  for  the  opportunity  to  get  into  Germany — especially 
those  whom  time  had  deprived  of  their  chance  to  reach  the  actual 
fighting  front. 

The  first  war  relief  workers  to  cross  the  Rhine  River  were 
Secretaries  James  W.  Fitzpatrick  of  Waterbury,  Michael  Nolan 
of  New  York  City  and  Thomas  Roche,  all  Knights  of  Columbus. 
They  were  three  of  five  Knights  of  Columbus  men  attached  to 
the  First  Division,  and  when  their  ''  outfit  "  advanced  they  went 
into  the  lead  with  a  battalion  that  had  not  yet  removed  the  tarnish 
of  the  last  battle-smoke  from  its  rifle  muzzles.  In  a  camionette 
they  crossed  the  famed  Rhine,  drawing  tons  of  Knights  of 
Columbus  supplies  behind  them.  They  halted  in  Mogendorf, 
situated  centrally  in  the  area  of  the  American  occupation  zone 
assigned  to  the  First  Division.  Thus  they  did  not  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  further  advance  into  Germany,  which  went  to  other 
secretaries  —  a  party  containing  Frank  L.  Bundschu  of  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  Joseph  Kernan  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  eight  others  who 
were  placed  in  custody  by  the  Military  Police  at  Coblenz  for 
having  outstripped  the  division  to  which  they  were  attached  in 
their  eagerness  to  reach  the  German  city  and  provide  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  approaching  Army  of  Occupation. 

The  entire  story  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Germany  is 
one  of  immediate  and  efficient  service  for  our  soldiers.  The  indi- 
vidual secretaries  realized  that  the  executives  in  Paris  were 
engrossed  in  the  great  problem  of  readjusting  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  organization  to  cope  with  the  vastly  increased  demands 
made  upon  it  on  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  These  men,  many  of 
them  with  but  three  or  four  months'  war  experience,  displayed 
remarkable  initiative  though  left  chiefly  to  their  own  resources, 
they  proceeded,  often  without  communication  with  one  another, 
time  and  opportunity  for  this  were  so  limited,  to  build  up  a  chain 
of  recreation  centers  and  a  system  of  service  throughout  the 
Rhineland  that  could  not  have  been  excelled  had  it  been  planned 
painstakingly  for  six  months  previous.  Being  on  excellent  terms 
with  the  morale  officers  of  their  various  units,  the  Knights  had 
no  difficulty  in  obtaining  permission  to  convert  desirable  German 
shops  or  residences  into  clubs  for  the  soldiers. 


After  the  Armistice  299 

Germany  was  found  to  be  a  pleasant  contrast  to  France,  where 
devastation  saddened  that  beautiful  land.  The  cities  and  towns 
and  villages  occupied  by  the  American  Army  were  clean  and 
well-kept,  the  only  physical  lack  being  good  stores  of  food  and 
fuel,  which  latter  need  limited  the  lighting  systems  of  the  towns, 
and  made  it  necessary  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries 
to  improvise  lights  for  their  clubs.  In  the  face  of  this  difficulty 
one  of  them  actually  contrived  by  establishing  himself  in  a  former 
powerhouse,  to  operate  the  defective  machinery  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  guarantee  enough  power  for  the  only  electric  sign  in  Ger- 
many at  that  time  —  a  sign  which  carried  the  legend :  "  K.  of  C. — 
Everybody  Welcome." 

By  the  first  week  in  December,  less  than  a  month  from  the 
signing  of  the  armistice,  Knights  of  Columbus  work  in  the 
occupied,  area  had  progressed  from  preliminary  individual  effort 
to  systematic  co-ordination.  The  Knights  were  established  in 
many  places.  In  Coblenz  they  opened  the  first  club  for  the  A.  E. 
P.,  on  a  prominent  thoroughfare.  Another  club  was  opened  in 
what  had  formerly  been  an  aristocratic  club  for  the  officers  of 
the  German  garrison  in  Coblenz.  The  club  was  situated  at  a  most 
favorable  point  on  Castorphaffen  Strasse.  The  first  club  was 
opened  on  the  evening  of  December  9,  1918,  to  a  clamorous  crowd 
of  young  warriors  eager  to  enjoy  its  hospitality.  In. Coblenz 
Lutzel,  across  the  Moselle  from  Coblenz  proper,  were  hundreds 
of  army  auto  mechanics.  To  these  men  Coblenz  was  out  of 
bounds.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  came  to  their  rescue  by  estab- 
lishing a  club  among  them.  Here  the  Knights  discovered  a  pool 
and  shower  baths  capable  of  accommodating  fifty  men.  They 
promptly  took  it  over,  as  also  a  battery  of  shower-baths  located 
in  a  school  at  Moselweiss.  With  large  quantities  of  soap,  which 
was  literally  more  esteemed  than  gold  in  Germany  when  the 
Army  of  Occupation  reached  there  (the  Germans  having  been 
denied  soap  for  four  years,  on  account  of  the  precious  fats  being 
required  for  the  manufacture  of  high  explosives)  the  Knights 
made  these  baths  the  magnet  for  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
men  of  the  Third  Army. 


300      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

At  Wallmerod  and  Hunsagen  the  Knights  were  first  to  be 
established,  Secretary  J.  G.  Redmond  improvising  a  theatre  out 
of  a  club-house  in  the  former  place,  and  furnishing  a  simple  read- 
ing and  writing  room  for  the  troops  in  the  latter  town.  In  Monta- 
baur  Secretary  Monahan,  who  had  been  attached  to  the  27th 
Engineers  and  returned  to  the  First  Division,  secured  the  quarters 
of  a  Catholic  club  before  which  was  an  admirably  typical  German 
beer  garden.  Both  were  converted  into  sumptuous  recreation 
quarters  for  the  fighting  men.  In  this  club  the  Knights  installed 
a  battery  of  shower  baths. 

In  the  ancient  fortress  of  Ehrenbreitenstein,  across  the  Rhine 
from  Coblenz,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  installed  a  club  which  the 
Secretaries  of  War  and  the  Navy,  in  their  separate  tours  through 
the  Rhineland,  declared  to  be  the  best  situated  and  handsomest 
there.  Charles  Phillips,  the  author  and  playwright,  had  charge  of 
the  laying-out  and  management  of  the  club.  In  a  large  room  which 
opened  on  the  esplanade  and  afforded  a  lovely  view  of  the  Rhine 
with  the  rolling  hills  and  scores  of  little  towns  nestling  close  to 
the  wide  waters,  he  made  a  comfortable  lounge,  fitting  it  out  in  a 
style  that  merited  the  personal  approval  of  the  Commanding 
Officer.  Over  this  German  fort  of  Ehrenbreitenstein  floated  an 
American  flag  brought  into  Germany  by  a  Knights  of  Columbus 
secretary,  Michael  Driscoll  of  Danbury,  Iowa.  He  arrived  in 
Coblenz,  at  the  junction  of  the  Rhine  and  Moselle  rivers,  with  the 
51st  Pioneer  Infantry.  The  regiment  found  that  through  some 
oversight,  its  national  flag  had  been  mislaid.  It  was  necessary 
to  have  a  flag  in  order  to  take  formal  possession  of  the  enemy 
fort.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  man  remembered  a  flag  buried 
at  the  bottom  of  his  trunk.  After  a  long  search  he  found  the 
trunk  and  the  flag,  and  it  went  instantly  to  the  top  of  the  tall  mast 
from  which,  but  a  few  weeks  before,  had  waved  the  banner  of 
the  German  Empire. 

For  the  First  Battalion  of  the  6th  Marines  at  Honningen  the 
Knights  opened  a  club,  Secretary  R.  J.  Harmon  of  Columbus, 
Ohio,  also  securing  a  large  theatre  for  the  use  of  the  men,  where 
theatrical  entertainments  and  boxing  exhibitions  were  staged 


After  the  Armistice  301 

every  week.  At  Heddesdorf,  headquarters  of  the  Second  Divi- 
sion, Secretary  McGrath,  with  Secretary  OUver,  operated  a  large 
club.  Secretary  McGrath,  on  leaving  for  home,  was  succeeded 
by  Secretary  Wm.  Smith.  Secretary  Oliver  secured  a  music 
hall  at  Bendorf ,  where  the  9th  Infantry  was  billeted.  Fixing  the 
dilapidated  place  with  wall  paper  and  paint,  secured  somehow 
or  other  from  the  townspeople,  he  converted  the  place  into  a 
most  presentable  club.  Secretary  S.  F.  Cann  of  Beacon,  N.  Y., 
was  assigned  to  the  club  at  Waldbreitbach,  opened  for  the  3rd 
Battalion  of  the  Fifth  Marines.  At  the  headquarters  of  the  Third 
Marine  Corps  at  Neuwied  a  well-equipped  club  was  secured  by 
the  Knights,  with  Secretary  Frank  A.  Larkin  of  New  York  City, 
in  charge.  The  Twenty-third  Infantry  was  billeted  in  Vallendar, 
near  Coblenz,  where  Secretary  Curran  was  in  charge  of  the  club. 
The  Second  Battalion  of  the  5th  Marines  was  at  Sagendorf  and 
the  First  Battalion  at  Neiderbreatbach.  No  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus secretaries  were  in  charge  of  the  clubs  there,  but  the  Knights 
supplied  them  liberally  with  creature  comforts,  music  and  musical 
instruments  and  athletic  supplies. 

Brigadier  General  Babbitt,  early  in  January,  1919,  assigned 
five  Knights  of  Columbus  men — Joseph  L.  Greeley  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  L.  A.  Martin  of  Willsboro,  N.  Y.,  A.  G.  Mitchell  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  H.  L.  Lockwood  of  Stamford,  Conn.,  and  E.  J. 
Meehan  of  Ovid,  Mich. —  to  the  area  of  the  Sixteenth  Field 
Artillery,  Fourth  Division,  with  headquarters  at  Kolberg,  which 
the  Knights  made  a  focal  point  of  activities  spreading  to  units 
in  surrounding  territory.  Further  on  at  Boos  and  Nohen  the 
Knights  also  opened  clubs.  For  the  Seventy-seventh  Field  Artil- 
lery they  established  clubs  at  Hambach,  Kaisersesch,  Kaifen- 
hein  and  Brohl.  At  Baugard  and  Mullenbach  additional  clubs 
were  opened  and  Secretary  J.  Albert  Smith  of  Lebanon,  Ky.,  was 
put  in  charge  of  a  club  at  Bodenbach.  Conspicuously  successful 
in  their  operations  at  these  points  the  Knights  were  given  per- 
mission to  open  clubs  in  Adenau,  headquarters  of  the  Fourth 
Division.  Here  the  Knights  opened  a  large  warehouse,  for 
Adenau  was  a  railhead  town  in  direct  communication  with  Paris. 


302      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

A  Knights  of  Columbus  warehouse  was  also  opened  at  Kaiser- 
sesch,  near  Hambach  assuring  excellent  distribution  of  supplies 
to  the  division. 

The  famous  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-fifth  Infantry  (the  old 
New  York  Sixty-ninth)  was  located  at  Remagen  with  the  Forty- 
Second  Division.  Here  the  Knights  of  Columbus  took  posses- 
sion of  a  handsome  and  capacious  residence,  which  they  turned 
into  the  most  attractive  club  in  that  advanced  outpost  of  the 
Army  of  Occupation.  Secretary  J.  M.  O'Hara  of  Dansville, 
N.  Y.,  had  charge,  and  helped  to  stage  the  famous  One  Hundred 
and  Sixty-fifth  minstrel  show  in  the  club.  This  was  the  first 
recreational  club  to  be  opened  for  the  Forty-second,  or  Rainbow 
Division,  in  Germany.  The  headquarters  of  the  Fourth  Army 
Corps  was  at  Cochem,  forty  kilometers  down  the  Moselle  from 
Coblenz.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  opened  their  club  in  a  large 
hotel  in  Cochem,  with  Secretary  Harry  Olson  of  Janesville,  Wis., 
in  charge.  The  opening  of  this  club  was  a  gala  night  for  the 
men  of  the  Third  Army,  who  attended  from  miles  around,  feast- 
ing on  doughnuts  and  hot  cocoa.  The  clubroom  of  the  Three 
Hundred  and  First  Ambulance  Company  in  Cochem  was  turned 
into  a  first-class  moving  picture  theatre  by  the  Knights,  and  with 
Knights  of  Columbus  clubs  operating  at  Cobern,  Kond,  Lehman 
and  Gills  for  the  Fifty-first  Pioneer  Infantry,  comprehensive 
recreational  facilities  were  provided  by  the  Knights  for  the  men 
in  those  places. 

Wittlich  was  a  most  important  point,  and  here  Secretary  Wil- 
liam F.  Cremins  took  charge,  going  up  from  Gravenmacher, 
Luxemburg,  on  December  6,  1918,  where  he  had  joined  the 
Seventh  Corps.  Knights  of  Columbus  clubhouses  were  then 
opened  at  Neuerburg,  Flatten,  Hetzerath  and  Fehren.  Secretary 
Andrew  Gallagher  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  later  succeeded  Secretary 
Cremins  at  Wittlich.  Secretary  James  A.  McNamara  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  had  charge  of  two  Knights  of  Columbus  club- 
houses in  Flatten,  and  for  the  Three  Hundred  and  Tenth  and 
Six  Hundred  and  Second  Engineers  in  Fohren  and  Becond,  Sec- 
retary W.  J.  Powers,  Ludlow,  Mass.,  conducted  two  of  the  best 


After  the  Armistice  303 

clubs  in  the  area.  Secretary  A.  E.  Nodler  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  was 
in  charge  at  Bausendorf,  later  going  to  Wittlich.  Major-Gen- 
eral  Haan  and  his  staff  aided  the  Knights  materially  in  their 
operations  in  the  district  surrounding  Wittlich.  The  Engineers 
made  the  club  in  Wittlich  so  attractive  and  improved  it  so  well 
that  the  Corps  Sanitary  Inspector  pronounced  it  the  best  venti- 
lated and  best  lighted  clubhouse  he  had  ever  seen. 

Leaving  St.  Menehould  after  the  armistice,  Secretaries  Paul 
Corcoran  of  Lead,  S.  D.,  Edwin  Walker  of  New  York  City,  John  F. 
Cassidy  of  Oklahoma  City,  Okla.,  and  J.  J.  Kavanagh  of  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.,  assigned  to  the  Thirty-second  Division,  stopped  at 
Bitburg  long  enough  to  open  a  temporary  club  there,  and  then 
proceeded  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Infantry  at 
Andernach,  where  another  was  opened.  A  club  was  also  opened 
at  Laacher  See.  The  Knights  established  a  club  in  the  court- 
house at  Dierdorf  with  Secretary  James  Ledwith  of  Madison, 
Wis.,  taking  charge  of  this  club,  and  later  of  one  at  Raubach, 
located  in  the  town  hall.  At  Puderbach  Secretary  Kavanagh 
opened  a  handsome  club  and  Secretary  William  Rivers  of  Water- 
town,  N.  Y.,  opened  clubs  at  Herschbach  for  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-seventh  Infantry  and  at  Thalhausen  for  the  men  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Infantry.  The  Three  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-third  and  Three  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth 
Infantry  regiments  enjoyed  recreational  facilities  in  a  large 
Knights  of  Columbus  hall  at  Stanhausen,  and  at  Rengsdorf  Sec- 
retary J.  F.  Cassidy  of  Oklahoma  City  operated  a  spacious  club 
on  the  ground  floor  of  a  leading  hotel,  where  extensive  boxing 
and  wrestling  tournaments  were  conducted  by  Secretary  Edward 
Conway  of  Akron,  Ohio. 

Hardly  had  the  ink  been  dry  on  the  armistice  agreement  when 
Secretaries  W.  M.  Cavanaugh  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  Michael 
J.  Mulquin  of  Janesville,  Wis.,  left  the  Third  Division  to  go  to 
Paris  for  supplies.  They  were  joined  by  Knights  of  Columbus 
Athletic  Director  Mackey.  The  three  men  took  a  three-ton  truck 
and  a  camionette  loaded  with  creature  comforts  and  athletic 
material  as  well  as  a  complete  moving  picture  outfit  into  Germany 


304      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

along  with  a  Knights  of  Columbus  field  kitchen  that  had  seen 
service  in  the  Argonne.  A  club  was  established  in  Polch  for  the 
Eighteenth  Field  Artillery.  Secretary  David  Hennebery  of 
Joliet,  111.,  marched  into  Germany  with  the  Tenth  Field  Artillery, 
establishing  a  club  at  Kruft  on  December  17.  Secretary  Arthur 
Toner  of  Cincinnati  later  had  charge  of  the  Polch  club,  one  of 
the  largest  in  that  section. 

Six  thousand  men  of  the  Thirtieth  Infantry  and  the  Fifty-sixth 
Pioneers  were  provided  with  a  Knights  of  Columbus  club  at 
IMayen,  and  at  Ochtendung  Secretary  James  M.  Maloney  of 
Worcester,  Mass.,  opened  a  club  for  the  Sixth  Engineers.  He 
also  secured  the  use  of  a  theatre  for  boxing  and  wrestling  tourna- 
ments. Secretary  Robert  J.  Faro  of  New  York  opened  a  club 
for  the  Fourth  Infantry  in  Plaidt,  and  secured  an  aeroplane 
hangar  from  the  American  military  authorities  to  be  used  as  a 
theatre.  At  Andernach,  a  town  between  divisional  head- 
quarters. Secretary  V.  A.  Hennebery  of  Minooka,  111.,  opened  a 
handsome  club.  Troops  of  the  Seventh  Infantry  and  the  First 
and  Third  Pioneers  were  located  there.  A  large  theatre  in  this 
town,  occupied  as  a  barracks  by  soldiers,  was  turned  over  to  the 
Knights  by  the  military  authorities,  despite  the  difficulty  of  find- 
ing other  billets  for  the  men.  Here  a  dormitory  of  fifty  beds 
was  maintained  by  the  Knights  to  accommodate  casuals  arriving 
at  unusual  hours  of  the  night.  Clubs  operated  by  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  with  enlisted  men  detailed  in  charge,  were  opened  at 
Wehr,  Eich,  Namedy,  Gut  zur  Nette,  Karlich,  Kettig,  Neider- 
lutzingen,  Oberlutzingen  and  Oberweiler  for  the  Seventh 
Infantry,  at  Monreal,  Metternich  and  Miinstermaifeld  for  the 
Thirtieth  Infantry,  and  at  Niedermendig  and  Saffig  for  the 
Thirty-eighth  Infantry. 

Up  to  Christmas  the  American  military  authorities,  to  insure 
the  utmost  security  for  their  troops,  had  not  even  permitted  war 
relief  workers  to  accompany  them  freely.  After  Christmas, 
however,  more  workers  were  allowed  to  serve  the  troops,  who 
greatly  needed  the  service.  At  Berncastel,  then,  the  Knights 
opened  a  large  club  for  the  Ninetieth  Division  of  Texas-Okla- 


After  the  Armistice  305 

homa  troops,  Secretaries  Louis  Lesage  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Wil- 
liam S.  Harrington  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  John  E.  Sullivan  of 
Providence,  R.  L,  being  assigned  to  the  division.  Secretary  Har- 
rington later  went  to  Daun  and  managed  a  club  for  the  Second 
Battalion  of  the  Three  Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  Infantry.  He 
served  every  unit  within  twenty  kilometers  of  Berncastel.  Sec- 
retary Sullivan  later  opened  a  club  at  Gerolstein.  Bordering  on 
the  territory  held  by  the  British,  where  the  Third  Battalion  of 
the  Three  Hundred  and  Fifty-seventh  Infantry  was  stationed, 
the  Knights  provided  Chaplain  Robert  Booth  of  that  unit  with 
liberal  supplies  for  the  club  at  Junerath,  and  similar  assistance 
was  rendered  Chaplain  O'Neill  at  Priim.  Secretaries  William 
J.  Murray  of  Los  Angeles..  California,  Thomas  Joseph  Kane  of 
Clinton,  Iowa,  James  Gallagher  of  El  Paso,  Texas,  and  Moore 
of  Palmer,  Iowa,  operated  a  large  hall  at  Bitburg,  and  at  Neuer- 
burg  where  the  Third  Battalion  of  the  Three  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
third  Infantry  was  stationed,  the  Knights  opened  a  club.  At 
Trier  a  large  club  was  operated  and  at  Waxweiler  and  Ehrang 
the  men  of  the  Second  Battalion,  Three  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth 
Infantry,  were  cared  for  in  commodious  clubhouses.  When  the 
Eighty-ninth  Division  marched  from  the  area  of  the  Third  Army 
towards  Brest  en  route  for  the  United  States,  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus headquarters  were  established  at  Trier,  the  better  to  care  for 
the  men  of  the  division. 

Secretaries  P.  J.  Carey  of  New  York  City  and  Walter  J. 
Powers  of  Ludlow,  Mass.,  opened  a  club  in  the  schoolhouse  at 
Sinzig,  where  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-seventh  Infantry  of 
Alabama  was  located.  For  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-first 
Field  Artillery  of  Minnesota  Secretary  John  F.  Scanlon  of  West 
New  York,  N.  J.,  operated  an  excellent  club.  Secretary  A.  M. 
Grant  opened  a  club  in  the  Hotel  Traub,  Neuenahr,  a  famous 
mineral-bath  resort,  where  German  musicians  were  engaged  to 
give  concerts  for  the  soldiers.  Secretary  J.  W.  Sullivan  managed 
a  club  for  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-sixth  Infantry  at  Ober 
Winter.  At  Rolandseck,  where  the  outposts  of  the  Forty-second 
Division  adjoined  the  British  outposts,  a  good  Knights  of  Colum- 


306      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

bus  club  was  opened,  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-eighth 
Infantry,  billeted  in  several  small  towns  in  the  Brohl  valley,  was 
cared  for  by  Secretary  E.  F.  Roach,  who  directed  clubs  in  Nieder- 
Breisig,  Burgh  Brohl,  Nieder-Zissen,  Waldorf,  Rieneck,  Ober- 
Breisig  and  Ober-Zissen.  Secretary  T.  J.  McManus  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y,  worked  from  a  club  in  Ahrweiler,  which  supplied  troops 
located  in  the  hills  beyond  that  town.  George  P.  Huard  of 
Mobile,  Ala.,  was  head  secretary  at  Arhweiler. 

Later  the  club  at  47  Schlosse  Strasse,  Coblenz,  becoming  too 
small  to  contain  its  doughboys,  was  made  into  an  officers'  club, 
with  Secretary  Timothy  J.  Morris  of  Providence  in  charge. 
Another  Providence  man,  Edward  J.  Ryan,  was  given  charge 
of  the  club  in  Coblenz-Lutzel,  catering  to  the  needs  of  10,000 
officers  and  men.  In  what  was  known  as  the  "  spare  parts  park," 
where  hundreds  of  automobile  mechanics  worked  with  but  little 
leave.  Secretary  Ryan  opened  a  hut  for  their  service.  He 
acquired  a  reputation  for  always  being  able  to  secure  supplies; 
although  this  was  not  uncommon  among  Knights  of  Columbus 
men,  accustomed  always  to  working  on  their  own  initiative. 
Philip  J.  Cross  and  J.  T.  Donovan  of  New  York  and  T.  E.  Kiley 
of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  were  other  secretaries  working  in 
Coblenz.  John  J.  Donovan  of  Boston,  whose  fugitive  notes  have 
made  possible  the  historic  record  of  activities  in  Germany  fol- 
lowing the  armistice,  was  for  some  weeks  in  charge  of  the  club 
in  Coblenz,  and  later  became  a  zone  supervisor  in  Germany. 

When  Fred  V.  Milan  of  Minneapolis  was  sent  up  into  Ger- 
many to  supervise  Knights  of  Columbus  work  in  that  zone  of  the 
occupied  area  headed  by  Coblenz,  he  found  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  firmly  entrenched  as  an  agency  for  recreation  and 
entertainment  in  the  Army  of  Occupation.  And  the  Knights, 
though  always  zealous  in  providing  for  the  mental  and  physical 
relaxation  of  the  soldiers,  never  failed  to  secure  the  facilities  for 
religious  practice  for  the  thousands  of  Catholic  men  in  the  Army 
of  Occupation.  The  population  in  the  occupied  part  of  Germany 
was  principally  Catholic,  so  there  were  numerous  churches  with 
the  pastors  of  which  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  and 


After  the  Armistice  307 

volunteer  chaplains,  as  well,  of  course,  as  the  regular  army  chap- 
lains, could  arrange  for  special  religious  services,  which  were 
no  infrequent  feature  of  life  in  the  Army  of  Occupation.  One 
of  the  most  notable  events  in  the  history  of  our  occupation  of 
Germany  was  the  Christmas  Midnight  Mass  held  in  St.  Joseph's 
Church,  Coblenz,  when  Father  Duffy  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Sixty-fifth,  celebrated  Mass,  and  Bishop  Brent,  senior  army 
chaplain,  and  other  non-Catholics  assisted  in  the  exercises  fol- 
lowing the  Mass.  In  Germany  the  Catholic  men  of  the  army  set 
as  fine  an  example  to  the  native  Catholics  as  they  did  in  France. 

The  comprehensive  chain  of  clubs  in  operation  by  the  end  of 
January  was  added  to  so  that  the  service  rendered  by  the  Knights 
reached  into  the  most  out-of-the-way  places,  just  as  it  had  done 
in  France.  Hardly  a  village  in  the  Rhineland  but  the  inhabitants 
had  been  approached  by  some  energetic  Knights  of  Columbus 
worker,  wearing  the  insignia  of  every  division  making  up  the 
Army  of  Occupation,  in  quest  of  means  to  make  the  American 
soldier's  life  less  irksome  in  the  land  of  the  beaten  enemy. 

At  first  considerable  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  ship- 
ments of  materials  through  from  Paris.  Although  the  railroads 
leading  from  France  into  Germany  were  repaired  rapidly,  Amer- 
ican engineers  playing  no  small  part  in  restoring  the  lines  of 
communication  through  territory  that  had  been  swept  and  torn 
by  the  fighting  of  more  than  four  years  of  war,  yet  it  was  impos- 
sible to  secure  freight  space  on  the  railroads  for  some  weeks 
after  the  army  had  moved  into  Germany.  The  Knights  of 
Columbus  were  forced  to  depend  upon  motor-truck  transporta- 
tion which,  in  mid-winter,  with  even  the  splendid  French  and 
German  roads,  the  former  considerably  shell-marked  and  suffer- 
ing from  the  constant  rains,  rendered  progress  slow.  Yet  the 
ground  was  covered,  and  the  Knights  broke  all  European  records 
for  the  shipment  of  material  across  national  borders.  In  late 
December  the  largest  single  shipment  of  athletic  goods  ever 
handled  in  Europe,  consisting  of  one  hundred  large  cases,  was 
sent  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  from  Paris  into  the  Third 
Army  area.    By  that  time  satisfactory  allotments  of  freight  space 


308      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

had  been  secured,  although  it  was  always  necessary  to  augment 
freight  shipments  by  motor-truck  and  camionette  service. 

While  activities  everywhere  increased  day  by  day  after  the  sign- 
ing of  the  armistice,  especial  emphasis  was  put  upon  work  for  the 
Army  of  Occupation.  The  Knights  formed  and  sent  a  minstrel 
company  of  forty  performers  into  every  occupied  town,  and  Jake 
Carey,  Alec  McLean,  Billy  Roche  and  Danny  Dunne,  Knights  of 
Columbus  athletic  men,  staged  innumerable  boxing  festivals  for 
them,  those  at  the  Feste  Halle  in  Coblenz  being  among  the  most 
famous  ever  held  for  the  Army  of  Occupation.  Jointly  with  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  some  places,  but  more  often  independently,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  gave  moving  picture  shows,  with  a  daily 
change  of  program.  Everything  in  entertainment  was  made  as 
brisk  and  up-to-date  as  circumstances  permitted.  The  Knights 
had  especial  success  with  a  company  of  soldier  performers  in  a 
burlesque  entitled  "  A  Bud  on  Leave." 

Surprisingly  large  quantities  of  creature  comforts  were  dis- 
tributed at  the  Knights  of  Columbus  clubs,  and  this  volume  of 
distribution  increased  as  the  weeks  went  by  and  the  shipping 
office  in  New  York  received  larger  space  from  the  carriers  by 
order  of  the  Government.  At  Coblenz  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
opened  the  largest  doughnut  bakery  in  the  world.  Two  Knights 
of  Columbus  secretaries,  Joseph  Gramling  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  and 
W.  M.  Cavanaugh  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  were  called  the  "  dough- 
nut kings  "  by  the  men  of  the  Third  Army.  Beginning  with  a 
pot  salvaged  from  a  defeated  German  regiment,  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  doughnut  makers  commenced  operations  until,  by  the 
time  Polch  was  reached,  they  were  producing  4,000  doughnuts 
a  day.  In  Coblenz,  however,  the  services  of  several  honest  and, 
let  us  hope,  repentant  native  women  cooks  were  employed,  and 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  established  the  unique  record  of  pro- 
ducing 60,000  doughnuts  a  day. 

For  days  preceding  the  movement  of  a  division  or  regiment 
homewards,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  doughnut  bakery  at 
Coblenz  would  cease  exporting  its  output,  accumulating  moun- 
tains of  doughnuts  so  that  each  man  of  the  departing  division 


A  Ik. 


THE  Ke^IOBIT^    03F  COODIMBllg  IM  PIEA.CE  AMD 'm^^Cia. 


The  Kniffhte  of  Co- 
lumbus Circufl  in 
the  ChampB  de  Mara, 
FariB 


Typical  K.  of  C.  Club 

for  the  Army  of 

Occupation  in 

Germany 


After  the  Armistice  309 

or  regiment  could  take  at  least  ten  doughnuts  with  him  for  con- 
sumption on  the  long  and  frequently  delayed  trip  to  the 
transports. 

Although  the  Salvation  Army  had  gained  fame  for  its  dough- 
nuts, the  Knights  of  Columbus  can,  in  all  modesty  and  without 
fear  of  contradiction,  claim  to  have  baked  and  distributed  more 
doughnuts  among  the  A.  E.  F.  than  all  the  other  war  relief 
agencies  combined.  If  this  smacks  of  boasting  it  must  be  empha- 
sized that  the  doughnut  was  a  symbol  of  the  most  cordial  hos- 
pitality to  the  mind  of  the  American  fighting  man.  It  effectually 
put  the  American  welcome  dish — pie — in  the  second  place. 
In  all  their  clubs  in  Germany  the  Knights  staged  what  came  to 
be  known  as  a  weekly  or  bi-weekly  doughnut  barrage,  when 
doughnuts  were  served  in  copious  quantities  with  chocolate, 
cocoa  or  coffee. 

The  doughnuts  became,  in  a  way,  a  badge  of  American  Kultur 
in  Germany.  The  German  people,  whatever  faults  they  possess, 
need  instruction  from  no  other  people  in  the  matter  of  food  man- 
agement. They  know  how  to  utilize  all  foodstuffs,  and  to  the 
utmost.  But  the  American  doughnut  was  a  new  creation  for 
the  Germans,  who  helped  spread  the  fame  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  doughnut  bakery.  To  this  day  they  are  regarded  as 
the  most  popular  American  delicacy,  and  those  Germans  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  sample  them  —  their  appetites  sharp- 
ened by  national  hunger  —  became  apostles  of  the  American 
doughnut  in  their  native  land. 

It  can  be  safely  said  that  every  man  of  the  more  than  500,000 
at  some  time  or  other  in  the  Army  of  Occupation  enjoyed  the 
hospitality  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  With  the  advent  of 
Chairman  Mulligan  of  the  Committee  on  War  Activities,  accom- 
panied by  Overseas  Commissioner  Edward  L.  Hearn,  and  later 
with  William  P.  Larkin,  American  Director  of  Overseas  Work, 
service  in  Germany  was  regarded  as  of  the  most  vital  importance, 
and  was  maintained  at  the  highest  pitch.  Commissioner  Law- 
rence O.  Murray  permitted  a  generous  flow  of  funds  to  keep  the 
work  at  the  maximum  point  of  effectiveness  in  the  Rhineland. 

21 


310      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

From  Metz  to  Coblenz  and  beyond,  the  Knights  maintained  the 
flattering-  record  with  which  they  commenced  operations  in  the 
Army  of  Occupation.  The  number  of  secretaries  sent  into  that 
zone  of  operation  was  continually  increased  until  troop  move- 
ments from  Germany  rendered  their  services  unnecessary.  They 
then  returned,  many  of  them,  on  transports  with  the  troops, 
serving  them  until  they  reached  demobilization  camps  at  home. 

Until  the  very  end,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  service  was  ener- 
getic with  the  Army  of  Occupation.  But  this  did  not  in  any  way 
detract  from  the  service  for  the  men  who  remained  in  France 
and  the  British  Isles.  In  addition  to  intensifying  their  labors 
for  the  army  in  Germany,  the  Knights  increased  their  effective 
work  in  Italy,  their  club  next  to  the  Minerva  Hotel  in  Rome  being 
the  rendezvous  for  all  American  service  men  visiting  the  Eternal 
City.  The  Knights  secured  audiences  with  the  Holy  Father  for 
the  Americans,  who  appreciated  this  favor  keenly.  Hundreds 
of  American  soldiers,  sailors  and  marines  were  thus  enabled  to 
receive  Holy  Communion  in  the  Pope's  private  chapel,  from  the 
hand  of  the  Pope  himself.  Personally  conducted  tours  through 
the  Eternal  City  were  a  feature  of  Knights  of  Columbus  work 
for  service  men  there. 

Striking  out  towards  Belgium  the  Knights  secured  the  largest 
theatre  in  Antwerp  which  they  turned  into  a  club  and  entertain- 
ment house  for  the  American  service  men  visiting  Belgium.  In 
Rotterdam  a  club  was  also  secured,  and  maintained,  like  the  Ant- 
werp club,  while  there  was  need  for  it.  The  service  in  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland  was  increased  200  per  cent,  in  December, 
1918,  so  large  was  the  number  of  American  troops  passing 
through  England.  With  four  handsome  clubs  in  London,  two  in 
Scotland,  one  in  Southampton,  one  at  Knotty  Ash,  near  Liver- 
pool, and  one  at  Winchester,  as  well  as  a  highly  popular  club  in 
Dublin,  Ireland,  and  a  staff  of  fifty  secretaries  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Edgar  A.  Sharpe,  Knights  of  Columbus  Assistant  Com- 
missioner for  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  together  with  ample 
supplies  from  the  United  States,  Knights  of  Columbus  service 
became   famous   with   all   Americans   sojourning   in    England, 


After  the  Armistice  311 

especially  with  our  men  in  hospitals  there.  The  hut  service  of 
the  Canadian  Knights  of  Columbus  was  also  highly  successful  at 
camps  where  Canadian  troops  were  located  in  England  and  Wales, 
and  remarkably  efficient  in  London,  where  the  Knights  were  hosts 
in  every  sense  of  the  word  to  Americans  participating  in  the, 
Victory  Parade  —  General  Pershing  himself  attending  their  f ^tes 
at  the  Savoy  Hotel. 

Many  of  the  prominent  Catholics  of  England  aided  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  in  their  work  there.  The  impressive  manner  in 
which  the  Knights  observed  Memorial  Day  in  Great  Britain  by 
placing  wreaths  on  the  graves  of  all  Americans  buried  there,  was 
favorably  commented  upon  by  the  most  prominent  English  news- 
papers. In  fact,  the  general  activities  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus in  Great  Britain  —  including,  in  the  last  weeks,  service  ren- 
dered to  homeward-bound  American  transports  touching  at 
British  ports,  and  at  ports  where  the  Atlantic  Fleet  anchored  (the 
work  for  the  navy  eliciting  warm  praise  from  Admiral  Sims) — 
received,  perhaps,  more  comment  in  the  British  press  than  any- 
thing Catholic  had  ever  received  before,  excepting  the  much-dis- 
cussed Eucharistic  Congress  of  1908.  General  Biddle,  in  com- 
mand of  American  troops  in  Great  Britain,  expressed  his  thanks 
and  admiration  for  the  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  for  the 
men  of  his  command. 

Throughout  France  the  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  fol- 
lowing the  armistice  became  more  arduous  than  ever.  Especially 
was  this  observable  in  great  encampments  like  those  at  Le  Mans 
and  Bordeaux ;  but  the  truth  applied  no  less  to  the  remoter  places 
where  small  contingents  of  men  were  stationed,  awaiting  their 
call  to  entrain  for  home.  With  a  slight  relaxation  in  freight  and 
gasolene  regulations,  the  Knights  were  able  to  increase  their  ship- 
ments of  creature  comforts  and  athletic  supplies  to  all  the  areas 
in  France.  Under  the  zone  system  established  by  the  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  War  Activities,  the  problem  of  distribution 
was  rendered  comparatively  simple,  and  not  one  of  the  hundred 
odd  clubs  in  France  failed  to  receive  its  bi-weekly  quota  of  sweets, 
tobacco,  writing  material,  soap,  towels,  athletic  goods,  etc.    The 


312      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Knights  of  Columbus  minstrels  toured  France  as  they  toured 
Germany,  everywhere  meeting  with  enthusiastic  audiences.  In 
addition  to  this  the  Knights  secured  the  services  of  a  talented 
female  instrumental  company  for  tours  in  Germany  and  France. 

The  work  in  France  was  never  so  successful  and  never  so  much 
needed  as  it  was  in  the  months  immediately  following  the  signing 
of  the  armistice.  The  Knights  took  special  pains  to  enable  the 
boys  to  communicate  with  their  parents  at  home,  issuing  special 
cards  known  as  "  Safe  and  Sound  "  cards,  which  carried  the 
message  "  I'm  Safe  and  Sound,"  and  were  designed  to  relieve 
parental  anxiety.  Especially  at  Lourdes  did  the  Knights  render 
excellent  service  to  the  thousands  of  soldiers  and  sailors,  Catholic 
and  non-Catholic,  visiting  the  shrine  there. 

Athletic  events  of  importance  were  managed  by  the  Knights 
in  all  large  centers  where  American  troops  were  encamped. 
Nothing  was  left  undone  to  make  the  last  weeks  in  France  pleas- 
ant for  the  men  of  the  A.  E.  F.  The  men  taking  courses  at 
French  universities  received  special  remembrance  from  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  who  even  assisted  in  the  conduct  of  their 
studies,  a  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary  aiding  in  the  agricul- 
tural course  at  Beaune.  There  as  at  Grenoble,  Bordeaux  and 
other  places  where  educational  work  was  undertaken  by  Ameri- 
cans, the  Knights  were  to  the  fore  in  all  recreational  work. 

To  every  man  embarking  on  a  transport  from  France  the 
Knights  gave  a  parting  gift  in  the  shape  of  cigarettes  and  candy 
and  useful  little  articles  like  handkerchiefs  and  shaving  sets. 
These  gifts  from  the  American  people  through  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  had  always  been  a  feature  of  Knights  of  Columbus 
service;  just  as  gifts  of  tobacco  and  fruit  and  sweets  to  the  men 
when  they  returned  home  to  American  ports  were  features  of 
Knights  of  Columbus  work.  But  on  the  other  side  the  War 
Department  compelled  the  Knights  of  Columbus  to  enter  a 
common  gift  scheme  with  the  Y.  M  C.  A.  and  the  Jewish  Welfare 
Board,  and  the  spontaneity  of  the  distribution  was  somewhat 
affected  by  rigid  systematization  —  the  men  being  given  no  option 
of  asking  the  secretary  for  what  they  required. 


After  the  Armistice  313 

With  tireless  industry — always,  of  course,  relying  on  the  sin- 
cerity and  enthusiasm  of  the  individual  Knights  of  Columbus 
worker, —  the  Knights,  up  until  the  very  last,  kept  in  close  con- 
tact with  the  American  fighting  men  in  France.  In  the  hospitals 
they  rendered  service  wherever  they  were  permitted  to  do  so,  and 
it  was  not  always  permitted  them.  Among  other  achievements, 
they  helped  to  make  the  Christmas  of  1918  a  most  memorable  one 
for  hundreds  of  thousands  of  young  Americans  in  France  by 
the  distribution  of  thousands  of  peace  pipes,  by  extra  supplies  of 
chocolate  and  tobacco,  and,  at  least  in  one  section,  by  the  dis- 
tribution of  plum  pudding  cooked  by  a  noted  expert  chef. 

One  thing  the  Knights  did  for  the  men  which  they  keenly 
appreciated  was  to  supply  limitless  quantities  of  home  periodicals. 
Secretary  John  C.  Dawson  of  Laporte,  Indiana,  although  neither 
an  editor  nor  a  printer,  established  the  first  newspaper  to  be 
printed  actually  under  fire  —  at  Baccarat  —  for  the  soldiers.  It 
was  a  small,  single-sheet  paper,  but  its  news  was  really  news  — 
otherwise  why  should  a  French  censor  have  shut  off  the  water 
from  the  ancient  windmill  which  supplied  the  power  to  operate 
the  even  more  ancient  press  on  which  it  was  printed.  But  Sec- 
retary Dawson  had  discovered  a  broad  avenue  of  service.  The 
Overseas  Commissioner  congratulated  him  on  his  enterprise,  and 
thenceforth  newspapers  formed  a  regular  portion  of  the  Knights' 
comfort  rations  for  the  men. 

Whatever  may  have  been  written  or  said  in  official  circles  of 
the  delay  experienced  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  beginning 
service  overseas,  the  crucial  period  following  the  armistice  found 
them  active  to  an  extent  surprisingly  out  of  proportion  to  their 
numbers.  Thousands  of  officers  and  men  have  left  France  grate- 
ful to  them  —  thousands  who,  had  it  not  been  for  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  method  of  attending  to  the  out-of-way  places,  would 
have  left  France  without  knowing  from  any  personal  experience 
that  there  had  been  regularly  recognized  agencies  of  war  relief 
work  stationed  in  France  for  their  benefit,  and  supported  by  the 
American  public  to  achieve  that  benefit. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
ENDING  THE  WAR  WORK 

BY  the  late  Spring  of  1919  it  became  evident  that  the  War 
Department  had  determined  to  return  the  men  of  the 
A.  E.  F.  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  surprisingly  high 
total  of  300,000  per  month  was  set  as  the  desired  rate,  and  in 
one  month,  July,  1919,  this  total  was  exceeded;  but  the  average 
number  of  returning  troops  approximated  200,000  per  month. 
It  is  difficult  to  comprehend  the  immensity  of  this  task,  the  smooth 
accomplishment  of  which  was  not  even  surpassed  by  the  dispatch- 
ing of  over  two  million  troops  to  Europe.  The  going  and  coming 
of  the  American  Expeditionar}'  Forces  to  and  from  British  and 
French  ports,  constitutes  the  most  marvelous  feat  of  the  war, 
when  the  great  distance  and  dangers  are  considered.  The  British 
Expeditionary  Forces  to  France  had  only  to  cross  a  narrow 
channel,  but  the  American  and  Canadians  were  forced  to  bridge 
the  Atlantic.  Not  even  the  heroic  retirement  of  the  British  forces 
from  the  Dardanelles  excels  in  brilliance  of  execution  the  record 
of  the  trans-oceanic  movements  of  the  American  armies,  the 
entire  work  having  been  conceived  and  directed  by  Admiral  Wil- 
liam S.  Benson. 

Early  in  the  year  the  Knights  of  Columbus  overseas  execu- 
tives had  so  reorganized  the  Order's  work  that  they  were  able  to 
carry  out  their  intensive  program  of  activities  not  only  for  the 
Army  of  Occupation,  but  for  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  troops 
in  embarkation  areas,  awaiting  returning  transports.  France, 
Germany,  Belgium  and  the  British  Isles  were  divided  into  nine 
zones,  a  supervisor  being  appointed  for  each  zone,  having  under 
him  a  corps  of  secretaries  varying  in  number  from  sixty  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty.  The  Knights  continued  to  send  over  secre- 
taries in  substantial  numbers.  The  scope  of  the  work  demanded 
recruits,  and  besides,  secretaries  who  had  seen  long  service  (the 
minimum  period  of  service  being  specified  by  contract  at  six 
months),  were  returning,  many  of  them  with  the  divisions  to 

[314] 


Ending  the  War  Work  315 

which  they  had  been  attached  at  the  front  and  of  which  they  had 
become  accepted  members.  An  instance  of  the  affection  with 
which  the  Knights  of  Colmiibus  were  regarded  by  the  men  among 
whom  and  for  whom  they  worked  is  the  fact  that  Martin  V. 
Merle  of  San  Francisco  was  the  only  war  relief  worker  wearing 
the  chevron  of  the  aviation  service,  the  Fifth  Aero  Squadron 
having  conferred  this  honor. 

Added  to  the  necessity  of  replacing  veterans  in  the  service 
whose  ill-health  or  private  affairs  warranted  their  return  to  the 
United  States,  there  was  the  important  consideration  that  scores 
of  men  who,  for  some  reason,  were  delayed  from  sailing  overseas 
previous  to  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  had  made  sacrifices  to 
put  themselves  in  readiness  for  overseas  service,  often  having 
resigned  from  their  livelihoods  and  disposed  of  their  family 
affairs  so  as  to  permit  their  absence  abroad  for  some  months.  It 
was  only  fair  that  they  should  be  given  an  opportunity  to  serve. 
The  Knights  found  themselves  amply  supplied  with  human  mate- 
rial Out  of  7,100  applicants  for  overseas  service,  1,100  were 
accepted  and  assigned.  This  proves  careful  selection  as  well  as 
patriotic  eagerness  to  serve  on  the  part  of  the  constituency  to 
which  the  Knights  appealed  for  recruits.  The  standard  of  quali- 
fication was,  up  to  the  last,  rigid.  No  man  or  woman  could  go 
abroad  without  a  passport.  The  Military  Intelligence  Bureau 
functioned  with  consistent  discretion  up  to  the  end,  and  it  speaks 
well  for  the  character  of  those  applying  for  service  with  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  that  out  of  the  hundreds  of  applicants  only 
one  was  definitely  rejected  by  the  Government. 

And  here  a  tribute  is  due  to  the  officials  of  the  British  Gov- 
ernment in  the  United  States  for  their  unfailing  courtesy  to  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  an  organization  whose  members,  while 
thoroughly  xA^merican,  were  known  to  be,  for  the  most  part, 
warmly  in  sympathy  with  what  is  popularly  known  as  the  Irish 
cause,  a  cause  usually  out  of  harmony  with  British  official 
thought.  Observers  in  France  in  those  first  weeks  following  the 
cessation  of  hostilities  were  aware  of  the  degeneracy  of  morale, 
which  grew  rapidly  infectious  and  threatened  even  the  war  relief 


316      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

agencies.  Prompt  and  vigorous  action  on  the  part  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  executives  —  the  speedy  and  accurate  planning  of 
ambitious  activities  and  the  assignment  of  every  worker  to  the 
task  for  which  he  was  best  qualified  —  saved  the  day  and  brought 
the  overseas  work  up  to  a  successful  climax  followed  by  a  gradual 
denouement  which  provided  efficient  service  for  every  unit  of  the 
army  until  the  last  men  left  France. 

The  Knights  had  struck  the  right  note  from  the  beginning  of 
the  intensive  work  following  the  end  of  fighting.  This  note  was 
not  new ;  it  had  been  their  peculiar  note  from  the  very  first ;  but 
in  the  clatter  and  din  of  the  fighting  it  had  been  lost.  It  was  the 
simple  and  cordial  note  of  generosity,  of  "  free  giving."  Attempts 
had  been  made  by  the  Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities 
to  restrict  the  giving  away  of  creature  comforts  to  any  but  the 
men  actually  at  the  front  or  in  what  were  termed  battle  zones. 
The  Knights  had  given  indiscriminately,  to  any  men  who  needed 
their  gifts,  whether  they  were  at  the  front  or  tucked  away  in  a 
hospital  bed  back  home.  Some  attempt — it  must  be  confessed 
that  it  was  not  remittent  —  was  made  to  conform  to  the  will  of 
the  Commission;  but  the  Knights  found  it  difficult  to  restrain 
their  secretaries  from  adopting  a  cheery  and  generous  attitude 
towards  the  boys.  They  could  not  speedily  convert  big-hearted 
Americans  into  stern-visaged  tally-keepers  of  sticks  of  chocolate. 
There  were,  it  is  true,  rather  humorous  attempts  at  conceal- 
ment of  their  generosity,  some  of  the  secretaries  visiting  hospitals 
and  distributing  large  amounts  of  material  and  promptly  for- 
getting their  deeds ;  but  over-much  open-handedness  became  the 
rule,  and  other  organizations,  seeing  that  the  Knights  were  incor- 
rigible givers,  formed  the  habit  themselves. 

The  position  of  the  soldiers  towards  the  policy  of  the  Knights 
was  defined  beyond  doubt  at  a  great  meeting  held  in  Paris  when 
the  celebrated  "  ten  per  cent  restriction  for  '  free  gifts  '  "  was 
being  discussed  in  the  United  States.  Chairman  Mulligan 
addressed  the  gathering  of  soldiers,  sprinkled  with  sailors  and 
marines,  and  received  an  emphatic  and  unanimous  "  Yes  "  when 
he  asked  the  men  if  they  desired  the  Knights  to  continue  the  policy 
they  had  followed  from  the  outset. 


Ending  the  War  Work  317 

The  Knights  maintained  this  poHcy  to  the  end.  Every  ship 
leaving  the  United  States  for  Europe  carried  suppHes  of  creature 
comforts.  So  large  were  these  consignments  that  when  the  Gov- 
ernment restricted  shipping  space  for  relief  agencies,  the  Knights 
planned  to  charter  a  vessel  to  assure  themselves  of  adequate  sup- 
plies for  their  overseas  clubs  and  huts.  This  could  not  be  done, 
so  they  were  forced  to  be  contented  with  as  much  space  as  the 
Government  could  possibly  allot  them.  With  the  zoning  of  areas 
of  activity  overseas,  the  distribution  of  the  constant  stream  of 
supplies  became  simplified.  Instead  of  converging  on  the  Paris 
warehouse,  supplies  were  routed  by  a  zone-director  from  the  port 
of  entry  to  the  region  where  they  were  most  needed.  This  obviated 
congestion  in  Paris  and  increased  the  rapidity  of  distribution. 
The  commissioners  in  Paris  had  no  more  vexing  problem  than  the 
satisfaction  of  secretaries  in  remote  parts  of  France  and  Ger- 
many who  found  themselves  running  short  of  supplies.  So 
inherent  was  the  desire  to  be  useful  that  the  average  secretary 
thought  himself  a  mere  supernumerary  unless  he  was  able  to 
make  a  daily  distribution  of  creature  comforts  to  the  boys  of  his 
regiment  or  battalion. 

The  highest  grade  of  executive  ability  was  necessary  to  keep 
over  one  thousand  men  constantly  engaged  and  tons  of  material, 
composed  of  innumerable  small  items,  in  hourly  circulation.  At 
headquarters,  where  Commissioner  Hearn  exercised  supreme 
management  of  men  and  material  and  Commissioner  Murray 
supervised  the  extensive  and  intensive  details  of  management,  a 
surprisingly  efficient  staff  was  trained  by  the  unremitting  pressure 
of  hard  work.  Mr.  Andrew  McSwigan,  a  Past  State  Deputy  of 
Pennsylvania,  Victor  J.  Kelly  of  Jersey  City  and  men  of  equal 
substance,  headed  the  different  departments.  It  was  a  happy, 
hardworking  family  which  achieved  results  without  even  pausing 
to  realize  their  magnificence. 

A  similar  organization  was  maintained  in  the  United  States, 
where  Supreme  Secretary  McGinley  was  director  of  home  activi- 
ties. Men  of  proved  ability  were  directors  of  activities  in  the 
different  military  departments,    Daniel  J.  Sullivan  of  Fall  River 


318      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

was  director  of  the  Eastern-Northeastern  Department,  William 
J.  Moriarty  of  the  Central-Southern  Department,  Michael  J. 
O'Leary  of  the  Southern  Department  and  Albert  G.  Bagley  of 
the  Western  Department.  Their  departments  were  subdivided 
and  over  each  subdivision  was  a  supervisor.  Each  supervisor  had 
a  number  of  general  secretaries  responsible  to  him  for  the  good 
conduct  of  activities  in  each  building  or  camp  or  city,  and  under 
the  general  secretaries  the  field  secretaries  worked. 

This  brief  reference  to  the  organization  of  executive  power 
may  appear  reminiscent,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  the  working  system 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  underwent  revision  with  every 
extension  of  the  scope  of  work,  and  the  process  of  extension  was 
continuous.  For  instance,  in  the  last  four  months  of  activity 
within  the  camps,  the  introduction  and  rapid  growth  of  camp 
schools  necessitated  the  quick  formation  of  an  educational 
administration. 

There  is  no  measuring  the  usefulness  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus during  those  last  months  of  service  of  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  young  men.  The  insistent  note  of  the  appeal  uttered  during 
the  United  War  Fund  Drive  of  November,  1918,  that  relief  work 
was  more  needed  than  ever  with  the  end  of  actual  warfare,  was 
but  a  faint  foreshadowing  of  the  need  felt  overseas.  The 
Knights,  reputed  for  their  ingenuity  in  entertaining  the  men, 
found  that  ingenuity  taxed  to  the  uttermost.  It  was  necessary 
to  launch  one  enterprise  after  another.  A  mammoth  minstrel 
show,  which  toured  France  and  Germany,  was  one  item ;  monster 
athletic  events,  such  as  the  St.  Nazaire  aquatic  sports,  the  Army 
of  Occupation  boxing  carnivals  and  the  Cochem  to  Coblenz  and 
Chateau  Thierry  to  Paris  marathons,  were  other  events  of  note ; 
but  perhaps  the  pi^ce  de  resistance  of  Knights  of  Columbus 
activity  during  the  seemingly  interminable  period  of  waiting  for 
tens  of  thousands  of  young  Americans  overseas,  was  the  intro- 
duction of  a  genuine  circus  and  fair.  This  circus,  made  up  of 
French  equestrians,  acrobats  and  clowns,  performed  before  more 
than  half  a  million  men,  from  Bordeaux  to  Coblenz.  With  it 
went  all  the  customary  side-shows  and  the  familiar  Americaxi 


Ending  the  War  Work  319 

peanuts  and  popcorn.  The  great  democracy  of  the  army  on 
pleasure  bent  was  illustrated  at  the  attendance ;  high  officers  and 
privates  sitting  side  by  side  with  their  feet  in  the  sawdust,  munch- 
ing peanuts  and  applauding  vociferously  the  various  acts  which 
the  Knights  had  assembled  from  every  available  source. 

Not  content  with  this  remarkable  effort,  the  Knights  gained 
fresh  laurels  by  introducing  to  the  A.  E.  F.  the  "  Coney  Island  " 
entertainment,  a  fair  made  up  of  scores  of  sideshows.  This  fair, 
first  opened  at  Le  Mans,  proved  so  surprisingly  successful  that 
it  was  actually  compelled  to  suspend  operations  because  the  prizes 
given  in  the  various  contests,  such  as  hurling  baseballs  at  effigies 
of  the  Kaiser  and  his  more  distinguished  generals,  were  rapidly 
exhausted,  and  the  Knights  wisely  knew  that  the  zest  of  the  enter- 
tainment was  the  competition  of  the  doughboys  to  gain  the  prizes. 

The  fair  was  a  strange  medley  of  old  and  new  means  of  diver- 
sion. Ancient  roundabouts  played  music  popular,  perhaps,  during 
the  Reign  of  Terror ;  the  internal  evidence  warrants  the  supposi- 
tion. There  were  slides  and  bumping  courts  and  pink  lemonade 
tanks.  The  entire  scene  of  the  fair,  with  throngs  of  soldiers 
lining  up  before  the  different  booths  to  go  through  a  parody  of 
admission  where  everything  was  as  free  as  the  air,  had  the  strange 
effect  of  a  typical  American  county  fair  Gallicized  in  spots,  for 
the  Marseillaise  was  the  dominant  screech  of  all  the  tmharmo- 
nious  calliopes.  Many  of  the  Knights'  veteran  secretaries  sought 
eagerly  to  work  at  the  fair;  it  was  excellent  fun,  provoking  an 
orgy  of  boyhood  memories.  And  to  the  soldiers  there  came  a 
touch  of  infant  dreams,  those  early  dreams  where  the  young  and 
lusty  dreamer  walks  through  fairyland,  stuffing  himself  without 
ache  or  weariness  on  peanuts,  popcorn  and  assorted  candies  and 
colored  liquids.  Here  the  dream  was  realized  through  the  magic 
wand  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  with  the  added  maturer  charm 
of  unlimited  cigarettes;  and,  instead  of  the  rather  meretricious 
side  shows  attached  to  the  average  civilian  fair,  rings  and  mats 
where  boxing  and  wrestling  contests  were  continuous. 

Le  Mans  was  the  waiting  place  for  enough  men  to  constitute 
an  army  corps,  and  nothing  of  less  proportions  than  the  Knights 


320      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

of  Columbus  carnival  could  have  satisfied  these  men.  When 
Commissioner  Murray  indicated  to  the  commander  that  the 
fair  was  to  be  moved  to  another  military  area,  the  commander 
insisted  that  it  stay  in  Le  Mans  for  two  weeks  more.  He 
described  in  glowing  terms  its  merits  as  a  source  of  pleasure 
for  his  men. 

The  fair  was  transported  to  Camp  Pontanazen,  near  Brest. 
There,  on  the  ground  which  a  New  York  newspaper  described 
in  most  emphatic  language,  as  a  "  hell  hole,"  the  Knights  built  a 
pleasure  resort  that  dispelled  ennui  from  the  lives  of  the  wait- 
ing troops.  No  close  tally  was  kept  of  the  men  who  visited  the 
fair  in  its  various  journeyings  through  the  crowded  American 
camps  in  France ;  but  it  is  estimated  thafevery  one  of  the  1 ,000,000 
men  who  were  in  France  and  occupied  Germany  in  the  early  sum- 
mer of  1919  was  given  an  opportunity  to  enjoy  the  innovation. 
Some  of  the  soldiers  who  had,  in  civilian  life,  been  employed  as 
"barkers"  at  fairs  back  home,  volunteered  for  similar  service 
with  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  After  due  arrangement  with 
their  commanders,  they  were  'accepted,  their  energy  adding  a 
decided  fillip  to  the  general  pleasure  provided  by  the  fair. 

The  headquarters  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Paris  was 
besieged  with  service  men,  eager  to  join  the  Knights  in  their  work. 
All  told,  some  fifty  of  the  men  were  accepted,  the  Knights  obtain- 
ing their  release  from  the  army.  These  men  proved  especially 
useful,  as  they  not  only  understood  the  soldier's  requirements,  but 
had  experienced  them.  There  were  some,  it  is  said,  who  sought 
service  with  the  Knights  because  they  sought  above  all  things  to 
be  released  from  the  army  or  navy.  They  gained  little  but 
longer  working  hours  by  the  change,  if  this  was  the  sort  of  change 
they  desired,  for  the  Knights  put  every  man's  stamina  to  the  test 
in  the  unremitting  efifort  they  made  to  keep  the  boys  amused 
during  the  dull  weeks  that  would  inevitably  have  been  theirs  with- 
out constant  attention  from  the  welfare  agencies. 

Religious  work  was  also  increased.  One  of  the  most  remark- 
able sights  witnessed  by  members  of  the  Army  of  Occupation 
was  the  following  of  the  Way  of  the  Cross  on  the  banks  of  the 


Ending  the  War  Work  321 

Rhine,  near  Cochem  in  Holy  Week,  1919,  and  the  veneration  of 
the  relics  of  the  True  Cross  at  the  Cathedral  of  Notre-Dame  de 
Paris  on  Good  Friday,  1919,  when  Cardinal  Amette  presided, 
was  really  the  religious  event  of  events  for  the  A.  E.  F.,  as 
Protestants  joined  with  Catholics  in  this  tribute  of  thanksgiving. 
Even  so  late  as  All  Souls'  Day,  1919,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
were  conducting  magnificent  religious  ceremonies,  Masses  being 
celebrated  wherever  American  troops  were  stationed,  for  the 
repose  of  the  souls  of  those  who  fell  during  the  war.  The  Knights 
seized  upon  every  holy  day  of  obligation  and  made  it  the  occa- 
sion for  religious  observance  on  a  large  and  attractive  scale ;  the 
peculiar  pomp  with  which  such  special  religious  occasions  are 
celebrated  in  France  gave  Catholics  and  non-Catholics  an  insight 
into  the  deep  hold  the  Faith  has  on  the  people  of  France,  and 
helped  to  explain  more  than  anything  else  the  bravery  and  sturdf- 
ness  of  the  French  people. 

The  change  that  had  come  over  France  and  the  posture  and 
functions  of  the  A.  E.  F.  was  nowhere  better  illustrated  than  in 
the  small,  aristocratic  city  of  Beaune.  Here,  in  the  Spring  of 
1919,  the  tiled  roofs  peeped  out  through  the  fresh  lilacs  to  scent 
the  new  air  of  peace  and  to  find  that  Beaune  had  become  the  seat 
of  a  flourishing  university  —  the  far-famed  khaki  university  of 
the  A.  E.  F.  Between  ten  and  twelve  thousand  3^oung  soldiers 
attended  this  university,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  contributing 
two  professors,  Rev.  Father  Langlord,  who  taught  French,  and 
Secretary  Alfred  Ryan,  who  was  a  professor  in  the  agricultural 
department.  A  rich  variety  of  machinery  brought  over  to  France 
by  the  United  States  army  to  serve  war  purposes  was  ingeniously 
employed  as  a  means  of  instruction  in  various  applied  sciences. 
The  university  was  a  flourishing  institution,  patronized  by  as 
zealous  students  of  learning  as  could  be  found  anywhere,  for  no 
wasters  or  dilettanti  were  tolerated,  Colonel  Ira  Reeves,  the  com- 
mander, and  his  staff  being  hard-hearted  army  men  who  required 
an  account  of  every  hour  a  man  invested  in  the  university. 
Mr.  John  McArdle  of  Pittsburgh  was  in  charge  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  club,  and  with  able  assistants  he  ministered  to  the 


322      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

recreational  needs  of  the  thousands  of  young  men  who  made  up 
the  student  body  of  the  most  remarkable  institution  of  learning 
that  Europe  has  ever  known  since  the  days  of  the  Peripatetics. 
At  Grenoble  and  other  places  where  the  men  of  the  army  con- 
tinued their  schooling,  relinquished  to  take  up  arms,  the  Knights 
supplied  the  old-fashioned  ''  tuck-shop  "  of  old  schooldays,  with 
liberal-hearted  genii  presiding  over  the  freely  distributed  stock. 

Gradually  the  extension  of  activity  was  reduced,  although  its 
intensity  was  proportionately  maintained  to  the  very  end.  In 
the  British  Isles  the  first  marked  falling-off  was  experienced. 
It  must  be  admitted  that,  previous  to  the  signing  of  the  armistice, 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  had  been  practically  marking  time  in 
Great  Britain.  They  had  concentrated  their  energies  on  the  men 
in  France,  the  men  about  to  enter  battle.  Sufficient  activity  had 
been  maintained  in  England  from  the  late  summer  of  1917,  when 
Lieutenant  Duggan  of  New  Zealand  had  taken  charge  of  a 
Knights  of  Columbus  club-house  in  London,  to  keep  the  American 
service  men  in  England  in  touch  with  the  Knights.  Mr.  Edgar 
A.  Sharp  of  Patchogue,  L.  I.,  who  had  been  one  of  the  first 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  to  arrive  in  France,  had  con- 
solidated the  outposts  of  activity  established  by  Dr.  Buckley  and 
Mr.  McGraw  during  their  tour  of  the  British  Isles.  But  it  had 
been  difficult  to  supply  Mr.  Sharp,  who  was  subsequently  raised 
to  the  rank  of  Assistant  Commissioner  for  the  British  Isles,  with 
necessary  help,  as  every  available  man  had  a  hard  job  cut  out 
for  him  with  the  forces  in  France. 

In  December,  1918,  however.  Chairman  Mulligan,  on  his  visit 
to  London,  retained  in  England  a  party  of  forty  secretaries  who 
had  arrived  there  on  their  way  to  France.  These  men  were 
distributed  through  the  British  Isles.  A  large  club  was  opened 
in  London,  two  in  Scotland,  and  at  Knotty  Ash,  England,  the  only 
brick  hut  built  by  the  Knights  overseas  was  made  a  flourishing 
center.  At  Winchester,  where  the  greatest  American  encamp- 
ment in  England  was  maintained,  the  Knights  increased  the 
personnel  they  had  had  operating  there  for  several  months,  with 
a  tent  as  headquarters.    A  club  was  opened  in  Dublin  early  in 


Ending  the  War  Work  323 

1919  for  the  convenience  of  the  thousands  of  American  service 
men  visiting  Ireland.  The  Irish  people  welcomed  the  first  official 
entry  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  of  whom  they  had  read  much 
in  the  newspapers  reaching  them  from  America.  So  enthusiastic 
were  they  that  they  insisted  on  partly  furnishing  the  club, 
many  individuals,  rich  and  poor,  contributing  different  items  of 
equipment. 

With  a  corps  of  fifty  men,  Commissioner  Sharp  was  enabled 
to  reproduce  on  a  small  but  quite  adequate  scale  in  the  British 
Isles  the  generous  entertainment  provided  for  the  men  in  France 
and  Germany.  Catholic  residents  of  London  and  other  cities  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  work,  and  the  Catholic  women  were 
particularly  eager  to  serve.  His  Eminence  Cardinal  Bourne,  who 
had  been  the  first  to  welcome  the  Knights  of  Columbus  to 
England,  gave  them  every  assistance  in  his  power,  granting  them 
the  magnificent  Byzantine  Cathedral  of  Westminster  for  their 
religious  ceremonies.  The  Catenian  Society,  an  organization  of 
English  Catholic  business  men,  co-operated  with  the  Knights, 
throwing  open  their  club-rooms  to  American  visitors.  Indeed, 
the  activities  of  the  Knights  so  impressed  them  that  they  called 
a  special  meeting  at  which  they  presented  a  proposal  to  Chairman 
Mulligan  for  their  affiliation  with  the  order. 

Conditions  in  London  were  very  bad  in  the  first  months  of 
1919,  and  our  American  troops  were  besieged  on  all  sides. 
Various  denials  of  these  conditions,  which  were  at  first  described 
and  truly  described  by  the  editor  of  a  well-known  American 
magazine,  have  been  published;  but  eyewitnesses  have  corrob- 
orated the  charges  that  police  control  of  vicious  women  was 
woefully  inadequate  in  the  British  capital.  There  was  also  the 
element  of  readily  acquired  intoxicants.  So  that  the  Knights, 
while  not  inaugurating  any  officious  moral  crusade,  yet  gave  to 
their  work  added  energy  because  of  their  recognition  of  the  very 
real  temptations  abounding  in  London.  Providing  good,  clean 
sleeping  quarters  free  of  charge  for  hundreds  of  boys  who  were 
permitted  to  visit  London,  which  was  declared  for  some  time  to 
be  out  of  bounds,  and  introducing  all  manner  of  typically  Ameri- 


324      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

can  entertainments,  they  contributed  substantially  to  the  splendid 
work  of  the  other  war  relief  organizations  in  keeping  the 
Americans  diverted  in  their  strange  and  dangerous  surroundings. 

No  better  work  was  done  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
anywhere,  save  at  the  front,  than  during  the  period  of  the  official 
visit  of  General  Pershing  to  London.  The  Knights  scoured  the 
British  metropolis  for  decent  lodgings  to  which  they  could  recom- 
mend the  hundreds  of  visiting  American  service  men.  In  addition 
to  that,  they  paid  the  bills  for  these  lodgings,  and  managed  a 
continuous  series  of  sight-seeing  jaunts  and  evening  entertain- 
ments for  the  men  previous  to  and  following  the  great  London 
Victory  parade.  The  climax  of  this  entertainment  was  a  mag- 
nificent supper  and  dance  at  the  Savoy  Hotel,  at  which  General 
Pershing  was  the  guest  of  honor.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that 
the  American  Commander-in-Chief,  democratically  dancing  with 
the  partners  of  the  doughboys,  requested  that  popular  American 
airs  be  played.  Enterprising  newspaper  reporters  seized  upon 
this  incident  and  cabled  reports  to  the  United  States  that  the 
General  was  a  devotee  of  "jazz";  certainly  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  demonstrated  that  the  General  was  an  expert  dancer. 

Following  this  brilliant  function  the  Knights  in  London  show^ed 
their  regard  for  the  men  of  the  navy  by  giving  a  dinner  to  Rear 
Admiral  Henry  Knapper.  Men  of  the  navy,  from  high  officers 
to  plain  "  gobs,"  described  the  event  as  the  most  memorable  they 
had  attended  during  their  long  patrol  in  European  waters. 

In  England  the  idea  originated  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
to  decorate  the  graves  of  American  service  men  buried  there. 
This  ceremony  was  appropriately  carried  out  in  all  American 
cemeteries  on  Memorial  Day,  1919.  In  France  and  Germany 
the  Knights,  so  far  as  it  was  physically  possible,  performed  the 
same  ceremony.  On  each  wreath  placed  on  a  grave  was  a  little 
card  with  the  inscription:  "  From  a  brave  man's  parents  through 
the  Knights  of  Columbus."  In  this  connection  another  worthy 
activity  of  the  Knights  in  their  last  weeks  abroad  must  be  men- 
tioned. Hundreds  of  American  families  denied  the  privilege  of 
a  visit  to  Europe  were  eager  for  some  memorial,  however  small, 


A  J^ 


THE  K-NIOHT^    OF  CO0IDLMBO.S  IM  HE^CE  AMB  -W^M. 


Ending  the  War  Work  325 

of  their  boys  buried  abroad.  Knights  of  Cokimbus  secretaries 
endeavored  to  procure  such  memorial  in  the  form  of  photographs 
of  the  graves  of  the  soldiers.  Hundreds  of  these  photographs 
were  taken  and  sent  to  the  United  States  ;  but  the  work  grad- 
ually developed  to  such  large  proportions  that  the  Government 
assumed  it. 

While  there  were  men  in  hospitals  in  England  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  had  secretaries  to  visit  them.  The  British  people  were 
especially  kind  to  wounded  Americans.  It  is  true  that  there  was 
some  ill-feeling  between  American  and  British  soldiers  in  neigh- 
boring camps  throughout  the  British  Isles ;  but  the  friends  of  our 
soldiers  could  not  have  been  more  eager  than  the  British  civilians 
to  render  them  aid  when  they  were  wounded.  The  Knights  of 
Columbus  conducted  scores  of  parties  of  wounded  men  to  the 
country  residences  of  wealthy  English  families,  where  the  boys 
were  made  to  feel  thoroughly  at  home.  In  fact,  if  there  was 
any  such  thing  as  a  degree  of  good  fortune  in  being  wounded, 
the  Americans  who  were  sent  to  English  hospitals  were  certainly 
more  fortunate  than  their  comrades  who  underwent  cure  and 
convalescence  elsewhere. 

The  trait  that  had  distinguished  the  Knights  in  France  and 
Germany  could  also  be  predicated  of  their  work  in  the  British 
Isles;  they  reached  the  most  unexpected  places.  Did  an  Ameri- 
can naval  vessel  pause  at  the  Orkneys  or  even  at  the  Hebrides, 
some  representative  of  the  Knights  would  quickly  appear  on  the 
scene  with  the  ever  popular  cigarettes,  candy  and  athletic 
supplies.  The  Knights  missed  no  opportunity  to  serve.  They 
were  at  all  the  ports  of  debarkation,  and  the  staid  London 
newspapers  began  to  refer  to  them,  rather  humorously,  as 
American  hustlers.  Both  Admiral  Sims,  who  commanded  our 
naval  forces  in  Europe,  and  General  Biddle,  who  commanded 
our  troops  in  the  British  Isles,  expressed  their  warm  appreciation 
of  the  work  the  Knights  did  for  the  men  of  their  respective 
commands. 

By  the  end  of  June,  1919,  the  number  of  American  troops  in 
England  had  dwindled  from  the  50,000  or  more  there  in  January 

22 


326      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

to  visitors  on  leave  from  the  continent  and  to  some  hundreds 
of  hospital  cases.  One  by  one  Commissioner  Sharp  commenced 
closing  out  the  clubs,  maintaining  the  London  headquarters  to 
the  last.  It  served  as  an  information  bureau  and  general 
rendezvous  for  our  men  in  England,  and  required,  like  the  Paris 
office,  a  small  force  to  handle  the  single  item  of  mail  received 
there  for  men  who  gave  the  Knights  of  Columbus  as  their 
address  to  correspondents. 

The  club  in  Rome  closed  in  June,  also  the  club  in  Genoa.  Late 
entry  into  Italy  had  prevented  the  Knights  from  operating  on 
a  large  scale,  yet  they  had  been  able  to  reach  every  American 
boy  on  duty  there.  The  club  in  Rome  had  been  particularly 
serviceable,  and  the  secretaries  stationed  there,  having  familiar- 
ized themselves  with  the  ancient  city,  were  able  to  serve  as 
guides  to  large  parties  of  soldiers  and  sailors.  The  impression 
created  by  the  club  was  of  such  a  nature  that  residents  of  the 
city,  native  as  well  as  American,  urged  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
commissioners  in  Paris  to  do  their  utmost  to  make  the  club  a 
permanent  Columbian  institution. 

The  Knights  were  naturally  attracted  to  Genoa,  the  birthplace 
of  Christopher  Columbus.  Hundreds  of  our  service  men  made 
a  pilgrimage  to  the  city,  surprised  to  find  themselves  entertained 
there  by  men  of  the  Order  whose  name  was  associated  with  the 
Discoverer  in  their  memories  of  the  homeland.  An  especially 
touching  incident,  fancifully  significant,  was  the  ceremony  con- 
ducted by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  on  Memorial  Day  at  the 
home  of  Christopher  Columbus,  in  the  yard  of  which  two 
American  sailors  were  buried. 

By  July  the  number  of  secretaries  overseas  had  dropped  to 
eight  hundred,  and  as  the  weeks  progressed  this  number  was 
gradually  reduced.  If  there  had  been  difficulty  in  securing 
shipping  space  for  the  secretaries  to  go  overseas,  this  difficulty 
was  small  compared  with  that  of  obtaining  berths  on  steamers 
westbound.  The  transports  and  also  the  passenger  vessels  were 
filled  with  soldiers ;  here  and  there  space  could  be  found  for  war 
relief  workers,  but  usually  they  were  forced  to  crowd  themselves 


Ending  the  War  Work  327 

into  the  few  passenger  ships  available.  Many  of  them  who  had 
faced  bullets  and  poison  gas  at  the  front  have  declared  that  their 
worst  suffering  was  on  the  voyage  home,  after  weary  waiting 
at  Marseilles,  Bordeaux  or  some  other  port,  in  ships  rat-infested, 
poorly  stocked  with  food  and  dangerously  overcrowded.  But  the 
eagerness  of  all  Americans  in  Europe  to  get  back  to  America 
almost  reached  the  height  of  panic;  they  paid  high  fares  and 
tolerated  conditions  sometimes  worse  than  ancient  steerage 
accommodation,  to  reach  the  blessed  country  they  had  left. 

Returning  home,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  gave 
the  same  service  to  the  troops  in  transit  that  they  had  given  on 
the  way  to  Europe.  At  each  port  secretaries  were  given  large 
packages  of  creature  comforts  to  be  distributed  to  the  men.  This 
altogether  apart  from  the  regular  transport  service,  where  the 
Knights  maintained  one  or  more  secretaries  on  each  transport 
and  provisions  and  equipment  to  entertain  the  healthy  and 
comfort  the  sick  soldiers  homeward  bound.  The  eagerness 
of  the  doughboy  to  escape  the  ship's  fare  on  the  passenger  boats, 
resulted  in  a  thriving  system  of  petty  graft  for  stewards  and 
other  minor  officers  of  the  ships,  who  supplied  the  men,  at  a  sub- 
stantial price,  with  dainties  purloined  from  the  saloon  larders. 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  aboard  the  ships  came  to  the 
men's  relief  by  purchasing  what  extra  comforts  they  could 
obtain  aboard,  after  their  own  stocks  were  exhausted.  The 
Knights  were  intelligently  sympathetic  with  the  sick  men  on 
board,  not,  as  one  skipper  expressed  it,  "  loading  their  stomachs 
with  pernicious  trifles,"  but  giving  them  such  necessary  things 
as  fruit-drinks,  chewing  gum  and  plenty  of  reading  matter. 
Much  of  the  last-named  was  obtained  through  the  courtesy  of 
the  American  Library  Association.  Religious  services  were 
always  performed  on  the  transports  and  passenger  ships  by 
Knights  of  Columbus  chaplains  included  in  the  passenger-lists. 
In  a  very  practical  way  the  Knights  proved  their  catholicity  with 
a  small  "  c  "  by  providing  the  means  for  the  celebration  of  Mass 
in  every  conceivable  place  and  under  whatever  conditions  the 
American  soldier  might  find  himself  —  in  remote  places  at  home, 


328      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

such  as  xA-laska,  in  parts  of  England  and  Scotland  that  had  not 
been  the  scene  of  a  Catholic  service  since  pre-Reformation  days, 
at  the  battle-torn  front  and  on  the  high  seas. 

In  midsummer,  1919,  it  became  certain  that  the  A.  E.  F.  would 
be  withdrawn  completely  from  France  and  Germany  by  the  late 
autumn.  Of  course,  a  small  force,  estimated  at  between  six  and 
eight  thousand  troops,  was  to  be  left  as  a  police  guard  along 
the  Rhine,  and  there  were  various  bodies  of  men  scattered 
through  France. 

No  sudden  withdrawal  was  ever  contemplated  by  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.  Their  executives  overseas  directed  the  work  with 
consistent  energy,  leaving  those  at  home  to  execute  all  necessary 
diplomatic  parleys  with  the  War  Department,  which  displayed 
an  increasing  desire  to  assume  control  of  the  civilian  organiza- 
tions' duties  and  machinery.  The  Knights  had  not  entered 
Belgium  until  the  summer  of  1919,  excepting  for  the  divisional 
and  regimental  secretaries  who  followed  troops  through  that 
country  on  the  march  into  Germany.  At  Antwerp  the  Knights 
maintained  their  club  and  recreational  hall  in  the  Theatre  de 
Vari^t^s  in  full  swing  until  the  last  American  left  Belgium. 
Cardinal  Mercier  himself  pontificated  at  the  Memorial  Day  High 
Mass  celebrated  in  the  Cathedral  at  Brussels,  delivering  a  message 
of  thanksgiving  to  the  American  people,  represented  by  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  and  thousands  of  American  sol- 
diers present  at  the  service.  In  Antwerp  the  Knights  made  the 
celebration  of  July  Fourth  a  famous  event  throughout  Belgium, 
holding  a  great  parade  after  a  Solemn  High  Mass.  The 
Honorable  Brand  Whitlock,  American  Minister  to  Belgium, 
participated  in  the  celebration,  delivering  a  patriotic  address  to 
hundreds  of  American  and  Belgian  soldiers  from  the  balcony 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  club. 

With  the  best  intentions  of  following  the  current  of  events, 
which  prompted  them  to  cease  gradually  their  activities,  the 
Knights  found  their  reputation  for  effective  work  a  hindrance 


Ending  the  War  Work  329 

to  rapid  withdrawal.  When  the  armies  of  the  new  Repubhc  of 
Poland  were  compelled  to  take  the  field  against  the  encroaching 
Bolshevist  forces,  Prime  Minister  Ignace  Paderewski  requested 
Chairman  Mulligan  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  war  activities 
committee  to  send  relief  to  the  Polish-American  troops  from 
Paris.  Some  twenty  thousand  American  Poles  were  enlisted  in 
the  armies  of  the  Republic.  An  advance  party  of  Knights  of 
Columbus  secretaries  went  into  Poland,  but  they  returned  within 
a  month  to  report  that,  as  it  was  impossible  to  select  the  Ameri- 
can soldiers  in  the  Polish  army  from  the  native  Polish  soldiers 
in  order  to  render  them  service,  it  would  be  better  not  to  attempt 
the  task,  as  it  would  most  probably  result  in  the  expenditure  of 
funds  for  some  other  purpose  than  that  for  which  they  were 
subscribed  by  the  American  public.  The  Knights  did,  however, 
fully  equip  a  party  of  one  hundred  Americans  who  resigned  from 
the  United  States  Air  Service  to  volunteer  for  service  with  the 
Polish  Army.  Secretaries  and  large  quantities  of  supplies  were 
also  attached  to  the  American  force  of  five  thousand  men  sent 
into  Silesia  for  police  work  in  connection  with  the  elections  held 
there,  and  aerial  transit  established  between  Paris  and  Warsaw. 

In  this  connection  it  must  be  emphasized  that  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  although  always  besought  and  strongly  inclined  to 
aid  the  stricken  people  of  France  and  Belgium,  had  early  decided 
that  despite  the  need  of  those  who  appealed  to  them,  the  purpose 
of  the  funds  entrusted  to  them  was  solely  the  relief  of  American 
service  men  and  to  this  purpose  the  Knights  have  strictly  adhered 
in  the  administration  of  their  funds. 

The  initiation  and  development  of  Knights  of  Columbus  work- 
with  the  American  forces  in  Siberia  was  distinctly  fortui- 
tous. The  number  of  our  troops  in  Siberia  had  been  (for  various 
reasons,  some  of  which  were,  perhaps,  not  unconnected  with  the 
practical  evidences  of  displeasure  shown  by  American  soldiers 
detained  for  duty  in  European  Russia),  strictly  guarded  as  a 
secret  by  the  War  Department.     Mr.  Garry  McGarry,  a  young 


330      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

actor  of  considerable  talent  and  energy,  requested  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  War  Activities  Committee  to  send  him  to  the  Far 
East,  to  Honolulu  and  other  points  where  American  garrisons 
were  stationed.  The  committee  was  not  enthusiastic  over  the 
project,  but,  sensing  the  possibilities  of  rendering  service  to  men 
who  needed  it,  Mr.  McGarry  was  dispatched  as  a  courier  for  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  to  the  Philippines.  There  he  produced 
several  successful  theatrical  entertainments  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  His  Grace  the  Archbishop  of  Manila 
and  other  prominent  Catholics  congratulating  him  on  his  achieve- 
ment. 

Later  he  went  to  Vladivostok,  and  discovered  in  that  port  that 
some  six  thousand  American  troops  stationed  along  the  Trans- 
Siberian  railroad  were  woefully  without  means  of  recreation. 
This  fact,  cabled  to  the  committee,  brought  instant  response.  Six 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  were  promptly  sent  to  Siberia, 
and  as  quickly  as  space  could  be  secured,  large  shipments  of  the 
famous  Knights  of  Columbus  creature  comforts,  with  athletic 
equipment  and  cinema  and  theatrical  supplies,  were  sent  for- 
ward. With  characteristic  thoroughness  the  Knights,  in 
November,  1919,  sent  a  Christmas  ship  to  Vladivostok, —  the 
"  Mercia,"  laden  with  all  manner  of  good  things  for  distribution 
among  the  troops  there.  Later,  Mr.  William  F.  Fox  of  Lidian- 
apolis,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  associate,  for 
more  than  a  year,  of  Mr.  William  P.  Larkin,  Overseas  Director, 
went  to  Siberia  as  Knights  of  Columbus  commissioner,  Mr. 
McGarry  having  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  supervisor.  Plans 
were  formulated  and  put  into  effect  to  give  adequate  service  to 
the  American  troops  at  Vladivostok  and  other  Siberian  towns,  up 
to  the  last  minute  of  their  presence  there. 

At  a  geographical  extreme,  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  the 
Knights  increased  their  activities  for  the  troops  garrisoned  there 
to  protect  the  canal.  Mr.  James  M.  Mead  of  Boston,  following 
a  visit  of  Supreme  Knight  Carmody  to  Panama,  was  sent  there 
in  May,  1919.     He  secured  two  buildings,  one  in  Panama  and 


Ending  the  War  Work  •  331 

the  other  in  Colon,  and  ten  secretaries  were  sent  down  to  serve 
the  four  thousand  men  on  the  Isthmus. 

Dr.  E.  W.  Buckley,  Supreme  Physician,  and  Deputy  Supreme 
Knight  Carmody  visited  Alaska  in  August,  1919,  to  review  the 
Order's  activities  in  military  outposts  there.  They  found  that 
five  buildings  were  being  operated  by  the  Knights.  The  Rt.  Rev. 
Joseph  Crimont,  Vicar  Apostolic,  gave  assistance  to  the  Knights 
in  their  work  a  hut  being  erected  on  missionary  territory  at 
Fort  Gibbon.  The  members  of  the  Juneau  Council  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  displayed  praiseworthy  eagerness  to  serve  the 
soldiers  throughout  the  war ;  one  of  their  regular  functions  being 
the  entertainment  of  the  service  men  in  their  part  of  Alaska. 

In  all  parts  of  our  far-flung  American  domains  the  Knights 
found  scope  for  their  service.  In  Honolulu,  Hawaii,  Department 
Director  Bagley  estabhshed  a  club  in  1919  on  the  grounds  of  the 
Cathedral,  the  Rt.  Rev.  L.  H.  Boeynaems,  Vicar  Apostolic,  hav- 
ing generously  welcomed  the  Knights.  This  rounded  out  the 
Knights'  service  under  the  American  flag,  providing  havens  for 
our  service  men  wherever  duty  called  them  and  consummated,  in 
the  short  space  of  two  years,  the  extension  of  the  Order's  relief 
work  to  every  locality  of  the  United  States  military  organization. 

The  War  Department,  from  the  beginning  of  salvage  work, 
required  the  privilege  of  supervision,  which  was  readily  granted. 
In  Alaska  the  Government  had  no  use  for  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus huts,  hence  their  application  to  other  creditable  employment. 
In  France  and  Germany  and  England,  the  disposition  of  most 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  buildings  was  effected  by  the 
expiration  of  leases.  In  Germany,  where  eighty-two  clubs  were 
operated,  the  chief  problem  was  to  profitably  dispose  of  the 
equipment.  This  was  easily  done,  as  the  Germans  were  greatly 
in  need  of  many  things  introduced  by  the  Knights  into  their 
buildings.  The  same  disposition  was  made  in  France  and 
England,  the  funds  realized  going  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
War  Fund  to  finance  its  reconstruction  work  for  demobilized 
men. 


332      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

One  of  the  keenest  regrets  the  Knights  experienced  abroad  was 
the  dismantling  of  their  famous  doughnut  bakery  in  Coblenz. 
This  bakery  attained  such  importance  in  the  Army  of  Occupation 
that  a  special  history  was  written  by  Knights  of  Columbus  secre- 
taries concerning  its  origin  and  development.  Besides  the  dough- 
nuts, tens  of  thousands  of  pies  were  baked  there.  Commissioner 
Hearn  dismantled  the  kitchen  in  September,  1919,  after  the  First 
Division  had  left  Germany.  He  left  one  of  the  huge  ovens  intact 
and  arrangements  were  made  to  provide  sufficient  material  to 
keep  the  Americans  remaining  in  Coblenz  and  the  vicinity  well 
supplied  with  the  tasteful  reminders  of  home-cooking.  With  the 
disposal  of  the  doughnut-baking  machinery,  there  went  also  the 
dozens  of  freezers  in  which  the  Knights  had  manufactured 
American  ice-cream  through  the  zealous  labors  of  secretaries 
who  were  experienced  confectioners. 

Messrs.  Hearn,  Murray  and  Mulligan  decided  towards  the  end 
of  July,  1919,  that  a  force  of  about  100  secretaries  would  suffice 
for  the  windin;:^-up  of  business  abroad.  Accordingly,  the  men  were 
sent  home  in  large  numbers,  one  ship,  the  ''Aquitania,"  bringing 
220  secretaries  to  New  York  on  a  single  trip.  As  might  be 
expected,  many  of  the  last  to  return  were  men  who  had  gone 
overseas  early  in  1918,  at  the  beginning  of  extensive  activity  with 
the  A.  E.  F.  By  the  end  of  October  all  but  150  of  the  secretaries 
had  returned  or  were  on  the  way  home.  The  War  Activities 
Committee,  immersed  in  the  carrying  out  of  its  reconstruction 
program,  yet  decided  to  work  overseas  until  there  was  absolutely 
no  need  for  further  effort.  Invariably  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
hut  or  club  was  the  last  to  close  in  each  little  town  of  France 
where  American  troops  had  been  quartered,  and  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  secretary  left,  and  then  reluctantly,  when  all  that 
remained  of  the  A.  E.  F.  in  his  district  was  the  memory  of  their 
recent  presence. 

Numerous  touching  scenes  are  described  by  the  secretaries. 
When  they  went  to  bid  farewell  to  the  ciir^  or  the  mayor  of  a 
town  or  village  French  courtesy  always  made  the  occasion  one 
for   an   impressive   little   ceremony.     A   toast   was   drunk  and 


Ending  the  War  Work  333 

the  inevitable  and  charming  farewell  oration  was  made.  The 
Knights  left  no  place,  however  obscure,  without  hearing  some 
wistful  expression  from  the  leading  citizens  that  they  should 
leave  in  France  some  form  of  organization  similar  to  the  Knights 
of  Columbus.  The  cur^s  generally  expressed  their  surprise  at 
the  large  attendance  at  religious  ceremonies  held  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  the  secretaries  were 
amused  at  the  fanciful  ideas  the  native  population  held  concern- 
ing the  enormus  wealth  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  when  they 
saw  the  frequent  distribution  of  all  sorts  of  good  things  free  to 
the  American  soldiers. 

Yet  when,  to  all  intents,  their  work  with  the  A.  E.  F.  had 
ceased,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  found  themselves  energetically 
engaged  in  aiding  the  members  of  that  glorious  army  to  com- 
plete their  relations  with  the  War  Department,  and  this  by  two 
effective  means  of  activity.  The  War  Risk  Insurance  Bureau 
of  the  Federal  Government  discovered  amid  the  hustle  and  bustle 
of  demobilization,  that  scant  interest  was  shown  by  service  men 
in  the  insurance  they  held  with  the  Government.  Policies  were 
allowed  to  lapse  by  the  thousands.  The  Bureau  called  upon  the 
Knights  to  give  aid.  Every  Knights  of  Columbus  worker 
became  an  advertising  factor  for  the  Government,  and  their 
contact  with  the  service  men  was  so  well  established  that  their 
influence  resulted  in  the  maintenance  of  hundreds  of  policies  that 
might  otherwise  have  lapsed. 

Rapid  demobilization  of  the  A.  E.  F.  had  more  than  one  inter- 
esting effect.  Many  thousands  of  service  men  lost  their  baggage, 
which  contained  precious  personal  belongings  and  souvenirs  of 
their  adventures  abroad.  At  the  port  of  embarkation  in  Hoboken 
more  than  150,000  pieces  of  unclaimed  baggage  were  stored.  A 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretary,  with  the  uncanny  predilection 
for  hard  work  in  strange  places  that  was  characteristic  of  his 
kind,  visited  the  Hoboken  docks  one  day  to  find  a  piece  of  bag- 
gage the  identity  of  which  had  been  given  to  him  by  a  soldier 
returning  on  a  transport.  He  found  the  piece,  a  blanket  roll,  and 
initiated  a  new  activity  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus.    A  squad 


334      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

of  secretaries  were  detailed  to  the  pier  at  Hoboken.  Hundreds 
of  letters  from  all  parts  of  the  country  poured  into  Knights  of 
Columbus  headquarters  in  New  York.  The  Knights  were  able 
to  locate  every  piece  of  baggage  applied  for.  The  baggage  was 
kept  in  the  most  democratic  condition,  the  trunk  of  a  major- 
general  rubbing  sides  with  the  roll  of  a  buck  private.  Lieutenant- 
General  Robert  L.  Bullard,  one  of  the  highest  officers  in  the  army, 
famous  for  his  order  of  "  No  retreat "  during  the  German 
onslaught  against  the  Allied  lines  in  July,  1918,  sent  a  request  to 
the  Knights  for  his  trunk,  stating  that  the  Army  authorities  had 
reported  in  a  letter,  received  on  the  day  of  his  application  to  the 
Knights,  that  the  trunk  was  in  Brest.  The  day  following  the 
Knights  found  the  General's  trunk  in  Hoboken  and  forwarded 
it  to  him.  The  prompt  service  given  to  the  general  was  also 
given  to  lesser  officers  and  privates. 

The  Knights  attended  to  requests  in  the  order  of  receipt,  and 
their  headquarters  became  the  object  of  a  pilgrimage  of  hundreds 
of  ex-army  men  in  civilian  clothes,  former  colonels  and  majors  and 
captains  rubbing  shoulders  with  former  sergeants  and  corporals 
and  privates  —  all  eager  to  recover  personal  treasure  in  trunks 
and  rolls.  One  officer's  trunk  was  identified  by  $1,000  in  currency 
hidden  in  clothing.  With  clues  so  scanty  that  they  might 
have  been  rejected  as  hopeless  by  an  experienced  detective,  the 
Knights  set  to  work  sorting  the  immense  ledges  of  baggage  at 
Hoboken.  Each  day  found  four  or  five  hundred  inquirers  satis- 
field.  In  all  75,000  pieces  were  found.  With  this  activity  and  the 
continued  reception  of  the  last  returning  troops  and  the  con- 
tinued entertainment  of  men  in  hospitals,  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus, despite  the  fact  that  they  withdrew  all  but  general  secre- 
taries from  the  camps  on  November  1st,  in  compliance  with  the 
War  Department's  order,  were  truly  the  last  in  the  field  working 
for  the  welfare  of  the  service  men.  Even  so  late  as  the  middle 
of  November  the  Knights  discovered  a  company  of  lost-record 
men  (men  whose  records  of  service  had  been  lost  and  who, 
therefore,  could  not  be  discharged  until  the  records  were  found), 
at  Montauk  Point,  Long  Island,  and  immediately  made  arrange- 


Ending  the  War  Work  335 

merits  to  provide  recreation  for  these  men,  who  were  practically 
prisoners  through  no  fault  of  their  own —  simply  through  the 
rigidity  of  the  enlistment  laws. 

It  can  hardly  be  written  that  the  Knights  concluded  their 
welfare  work,  for  their  reconstruction  program  calls  for  a  term 
of  years  for  its  fulfilment.  But  in  officially  severing  their  con- 
nection with  the  Army  camps  they  did  so  with  the  plainly 
expressed  desire,  on  their  part  and  on  the  part  of  the  men  they 
served,  to  continue  their  work.  Unquestionably  the  Knights  will 
aid  always,  so  far  as  they  can,  the  men  demobilized  from  the 
army  and  navy  and  the  men  who  continue  to  serve;  the  form 
and  extent  of  their  aid  will  be  determined  by  circumstances. 

The  Committee  on  War  Activities  besides  giving  tangible 
recognition  to  those  secretaries  who  had  served  faithfully  and 
had  been  honorably  discharged  presented  each  with  a  certificate 
and  a  medal,  and  aided  them  practically  in  demobilization  by 
giving  them  the  advantages  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  employ- 
ment bureaus.  This  demobilization  involved  the  return  to 
ordinary  business  and  industrial  pursuits  of  over  four  thousand 
men,  trained  by  actual  experience  in  a  form  of  work  immensely 
valuable  to  the  nation.  This  splendid  aggregation  of  workers 
served  to  demonstrate  that  Catholics  could  muster  the  largest 
denominational  army  of  relief  workers  yet  seen  in  this  country. 

Long  before  demobilization  commenced  the  Knights  instituted 
two  services  for  the  soldiers  that  were,  without  any  doubt,  among 
the  most  useful  in  their  admirable  variety  of  aids.  The  Lost 
Soldier  Bureau,  formed  in  the  summer  of  1918  and  designed  to 
supplement  the  activities  of  the  Government's  military  personnel 
department  and  of  the  Red  Cross,  was  instrumental  in  finding 
more  than  seven  thousand  soldiers  of  whom  record  had  been  lost 
by  their  parents  and  other  relations  at  home,  often  through  the 
soldier's  neglect  to  observe  the  touching  advice  "  Write  Home  to 
Your  Mother,"  found  prominently  placarded  in  all  Knights  of 
Columbus  huts. 

A  touching  incident  illustrating  this  service  was  the  discovery, 
by  the  Knights,  of  the  son  of  a  German  woman  of  Hamburg, — 


336      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  boy  being  found  —  a  private  in  an  American  infantry  regi- 
ment in  a  Georgia  camp.  Numerous  instances  were  also  recorded 
of  men  whom  the  War  Department  had  reported  dead,  but  who 
were  found  by  the  Knights  to  be  very  much  alive. 

The  work  of  locating  the  graves  of  American  soldiers  in 
France  and  the  British  Isles  was  undertaken  by  the  Knights  in 
the  early  summer  of  1919.  Not  only  did  the  Knights  search  the 
military  cemeteries  to  find  the  last  resting  places  of  hundreds  of 
men  of  whom  all  official  record  had  been  lost,  but,  when  found, 
they  photographed  these  graves  and  forwarded  the  photographs 
to  the  relatives  of  the  men.  By  this  means  they  furnished  thou- 
sands of  families  with  precious  mementos  of  their  heroic  dead. 

The  very  last  activity  initiated  by  the  Knights  overseas  was  the 
institution  of  a  Guide  Service  for  American  parents  visiting 
France  to  see  the  graves  of  their  hero  sons.  Quietly  put  into 
effect,  this  service  is  the  noblest  conceived  by  this  organization, 
so  strikingly  capable  of  understanding  and  satisfying  the  human 
needs  of  those  who  have  suffered  directly  through  the  war. 

Recognition  of  the  service  rendered  by  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus has  been  accorded  generously  in  a  thousand-and-one  different 
ways.  The  official  testimonials  to  the  value  of  that  service, 
printed  in  the  second  volume  of  this  book,  are  but  a  portion  of 
the  symposium  of  praise  that  might  be  gathered  to  fill  an  entire 
library.  A  concrete  expression  of  the  nation's  esteem  was  given 
happily  when  the  United  States  Shipping  Board,  on  October  11th, 
1919,  launched  the  good  ship  "  Casey,"  named  in  honor  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  overseas  workers.  Miss  Miriam  Flaherty, 
daughter  of  Supreme  Knight  Flaherty,  christened  the  vessel  at 
Hog  Island,  and  the  press  of  the  nation  hailed  the  tribute  as 
befitting  the  organization  which  had  earned  the  highest  honor 
possible  among  healthy  young  men  —  a  nickname.  Mr.  James  J. 
Montague,  one  of  America's  leading  journalists,  celebrated  the 
launching  in  a  poem  printed  in  prominent  newspapers  throughout 
the  country. 

As  a  culmination  of  their  work  abroad  the  Knights  undertook, 
at  their  Peace  Convention  in  1919,  to  erect  a  lasting  memorial  to 


Ending  the  War  Work  337 

the  communion  of  democracy  that  achieved  victory.  Voting  fifty 
thousand  dollars  for  the  erection  in  Metz  of  a  statue  of  Lafayette, 
they  gave  substantial  evidence  of  the  drawing-together  of  the 
two  great  republics  of  the  world  which  the  war  consummated 
and  made  permanent.  No  gift  in  better  taste  could  possibly  have 
been  proposed  for  the  Republic  of  France  from  the  United  States, 
and  in  making  their  gift  the  Knights  gave  expression  to  the  senti- 
ments of  all  Americans  who  realize  that  a  common  love  for  free- 
dom animates  France  and  America. 

The  statue  itself,  a  reproduction  of  Mr.  Paul  W.  Bartlett's 
famous  equestrian  Lafayette,  presented  to  France  some  years 
ago  by  the  school-children  of  the  United  States,  will  be  an  abiding 
memorial  of  American  participation  in  the  war.  It  will  carry 
four  bas-reliefs  on  its  pediment  showing  President  Woodrow 
Wilson  in  the  act  of  declaring  that  Alsace-Lorraine  must 
be  restored  to  France;  General  John  J,  Pershing  ejaculating 
"Lafayette,  we  are  here,"  at  the  tomb  of  Lafayette  in  Paris; 
Marshal  Ferdinand  Foch  announcing  to  the  Supreme  Officers  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  the  early  autumn  of  1918  that  the 
flag  of  victory  would  soon  be  flying  over  the  fortress  of  Metz, 
and,  finally,  Christopher  Columbus  viewing  from  the  deck  of  his 
flagship  the  dawn  of  the  New  World.  Symbolic  cartouches  will 
be  added  to  these  bas-reliefs  to  perfect  the  statue's  picturesque 
effectiveness. 

A  grand  pilgrimage  of  Knights  to  Metz  will  be  held  for  the 
unveiling  of  the  statue  on  Lafayette  Day,  September  6th,  1920, 
when  the  French  Government  will  extend  its  hospitality  to  the 
visitors  and  participate  in  a  demonstration  of  Franco-American 
friendship.  Opportunity  will  also  be  taken  to  visit  Lourdes  and 
Rome  and  the  battle-areas  where  the  Knights  of  Columbus  served 
Americans  under  fire. 

While  but  an  incident  in  the  recent  history  of  this  Order,  the 
significance  of  the  movement  for  erecting  and  fittingly  celebrating 
the  presentation  of  this  statue  of  Lafayette  to  the  city  of  Metz, 
which  enthusiastically  welcomed  the  project,  will  be  felt  through 
the  years ;  the  act  is  a  promise  of  friendship  for  France  securer. 


338      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

it  may  well  be  said,  than  a  formal  treaty,  for  it  represents  the 
admiration  and  brotherly  love  of  .  millions  of  plain-thinking 
Americans.  It  completes  the  record  of  good  will  and  generous 
deeds  which  the  Knights  have  made  for  themselves  and  their 
country  in  Europe. 

And  to  fill  to  overflowing  the  measure  of  their  good  deeds  the 
Knights  undertook  to  give  their  moral  and  practical  support  to 
two  movements,  one  American,  the  other  Belgian.  In  this 
country  they  have  undertaken  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  the 
national  shrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  on  the  grounds  of 
the  Catholic  University  at  Washington,  to  which  end  they  have 
devoted  the  columns  of  TJie  C olmnhiad ;  and  they  have  cordially 
responded  to  the  appeal  which  His  Eminence  Cardinal  Mercier, 
the  heroic  Primate  of  Belgium,  made  in  his  address  to  Supreme 
Knight  Flaherty  on  the  eve  of  the  Cardinal's  conclusion  of  his 
recent  visit  to  the  United  States.  Cardinal  Mercier  called  upon 
the  Knights  to  aid  him  in  his  immense  task  of  reconstruction  in 
his  war-torn  country.  Amid  the  multiplicity  of  the  appeals  made 
to  them  for  aid,  appeals  to  which  they  responded  from  their  pri- 
vate resources,  the  Knights  received  Cardinal  Mercier's  with  the 
same  cordial  hospitality  they  had  extended  to  him  during  his  visit 
to  the  United  States.  "  The  first  evidence  of  welcome  I  received 
on  approaching  your  country,"  the  Cardinal  narrated  to  a  large 
gathering  in  New  York,  "  was  chocolate,  chewing-gum  and 
cigarettes  from  the  Knights  of  Columbus  who  came  out  in  a  tug 
to  meet  the  transport  on  which  I  was  a  passenger."  The  Knights, 
throughout  his  visit,  gave  him  many  instances  of  their  affection 
for  him.  His  request  for  financial  aid  will  be  continuously  placed 
before  the  membership  of  the  Order  until  the  Order  is  enabled  to 
give,  from  its  own  resources,  some  substantial  sum  that  will 
materially  expedite  the  vital  work  His  Eminence  has  under  way 
in  Belgium.  Thus,  while  the  Knights  have  not  deemed  it  wise  to 
leave  in  Europe  the  branches  of  their  organization  which  Euro- 
pean Catholics  have  so  earnestly  desired,  they  have  designed  to 
give  Europe  enduring  testimonials  of  American  esteem  and 
brotherly  love;  they  have  so  conducted  themselves  abroad  that 


Ending  the  War  Work  339 

the  Old  World  has  learned,  never  to  forget,  the  lesson  that 
Columbus  sought  to  teach  —  that  the  seed  of  the  Faith,  carried 
to  and  flourishing  in  the  New  World,  will  always  be  a  source  of 
comfort  and  nourishment  to  Christian  Europe. 


CHAPTER  XXV 
CANADIAN  KNIGHTS'  WAR  WORK 

THE  conservatism  of  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus,  in  consistently  declining  to 
extend  the  Order  beyond  the  confines  of  the  United 
States  and  its  dependencies  and  the  other  countries  of  North 
America,  has  often  baffled  thinking  men  who  see  in  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  the  logical  answer  to  the  question  — Where  can  we 
find  a  Catholic  society  fitted  by  internal  and  external  power  to 
be  an  international  bond  among  the  Catholic  laymen  of  the  world, 
supplementing  and  explaining  the  great  bond  of  the  visible 
Church?  From  the  time  in  the  late  '80s,  when  an  English 
Catholic  gentlemen  asked  the  Knights  of  Columbus  authorities 
if  the  Order  could  not  be  extended  to  the  British  Isles  —  the  time 
when  there  v/as  a  divided  opinion  among  the  directors  as  to  the 
advisability  of  extending  the  Order  into  Ireland  —  periodic 
requests  have  been  made  to  the  Supreme  Board  from  all  parts 
of  the  world  for  its  extension. 

Serious  thought  has  always  been  given  to  these  requests,  but 
none  have  been  granted,  although,  of  late,  the  board  has  care- 
fully considered  the  supplying  of  responsible  bodies  in  various 
countries  with  the  privileges  of  the  ritual  and  plan  of  organization 
without  the  parental  authority  of  the  Order.  The  case  of  the 
war  relief  work  of  the  Canadian  Knights  illustrates  clearly  one 
of  the  principal  reasons  why  there  has  always  been  a  decided 
hesitancy  to  plant  the  Order  on  other  than  American  and  imme- 
diately neighboring  soil.  In  short,  the  Knights  have  strictly 
applied,  as  a  brake  on  their  own  development,  Washington's 
counsel  to  avoid  entangling  alliances. 

When  the  European  War  broke  out  and  Canada  flung  her 
weight  into  the  balance  against  the  German  Empire,  the  United 
States  remained  neutral  and  the  President  of  the  United  States 
urged  all  citizens  of  the  Union  to  observe  strict  neutrality.  The 
vast  bulk  of  the  membership  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  in 

1340] 


Canadian  Knights'  War  Work  341 

the  United  States.  Out  of  a  total  of  about  350,000  members  at 
that  time  the  Dominion  of  Canada  had  some  19,000.  On  a  basis 
of  strictly  numerical  representation,  the  Canadian  Knights  would 
not  have  been  entitled  to  a  member  on  the  Supreme  Board.  But 
the  board  is  not  constituted  on  the  representative  principle, 
although  its  membership  is,  so  far  as  practicable,  geographically 
distributed — but  this  distribution  has  more  reference  to  quali- 
tative than  quantitative  government.  In  the  Supreme  Council  — 
the  annually  convened  body  —  the  Canadian  Knights  enjoyed  full 
representation  according  to  their  numbers,  although,  of  course, 
their  delegates  were,  as  they  now  are,  a  very  small  minority.  The 
executive  board  being  practically  American,  and  operating  an 
American  corporation,  the  country's  course  in  foreign  relations 
was  bound  to  be  faithfully  reflected  in  the  Order's  activities. 

Questions  have  been  asked  concerning  the  inactivity  of  the 
Order,  as  a  corporation,  in  the  welfare  of  Canadian  troops  from 
the  very  outset  of  the  war.  But  no  action  could  possibly  be  taken 
to  benefit  the  troops  of  any  side  of  the  conflict  while  the  United 
States  remained  a  neutral  observer.  The  Supreme  Board  had  no 
objections  to  interpose  against  the  action  of  Canadian  Knights, 
either  individually  or  collectively,  in  their  capacity  as  Canadian 
citizens  loyal  to  the  British  crown.  In  fact,  everything  they  did 
for  their  country,  whether  on  active  or  home  service,  was  warmly 
applauded  as  an  exhibition  of  the  patriotism  which  is  one  of  the 
first  principles  of  Columbianism.  But  it  was  not  until  the  United 
States  had  entered  the  war  that  the  Supreme  Board  could  give 
its  consent  and  moral  support  to  the  war  relief  work  inaugurated 
by  the  Canadian  Knights. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  Canadians  organized  and  launched 
their  project,  known  as  the  Canadian  Catholic  Army  Huts  move- 
ment, has  always  been  a  surprising  corroboration  of  the  general 
readiness  and  ability  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  everywhere  to 
play  their  part  in  public  and  patriotic  service.  In  the  many 
months  of  the  war  before  their  hut  movement  assumed  definite 
shape,  the  Canadian  Knights  had  assisted  their  Dominion's  fight- 
ing men  rn  numerous  ways  through  council  units  of  men,  with 
-^3 


342      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

their  women's  auxiliaries.  Council  clubs  had  been  thrown  open 
to  the  soldiers  and  sailors,  social  affairs  had  been  arranged  for 
them.  The  Canadian  councils  did  precisely  as  the  American 
councils  did  when  the  United  States  entered  the  war  —  they 
served  as  community  social  centers  for  the  service  men  and  also 
as  rallying-  points  for  all  patriotic  energies  in  support  of  the  finan- 
cial and  other  programs  of  the  Canadian  government. 

Overseas  the  urgent  need  of  facilities  for  religious  practice 
among  Canadian  Catholic  troops  was  manifest  from  the  hour 
they  arrived  in  England  and  France  in  large  numbers.  The  Cana- 
dian government,  like  the  British  government,  had  been  generous 
enough  in  the  matter  of  assigning  Catholic  chaplains  to  regiments 
and  divisions  containing  large  numbers  of  Catholics;  but  there 
was  no  Catholic  relief  organization  to  provide  for  the  Catholic 
men  and  to  give  them  resting  places  in  which  they  could  be  sur- 
rounded by  Catholic  atmosphere,  for  experience  has  demonstrated 
beyond  doubt  that  Catholic  men  cannot  be  comfortable  or  derive 
spiritual  benefit  through  media  essentially  non-Catholic.  The 
point  of  view  of  the  relations  of  God  to  man  and  man  to  God  is 
very  different. 

It  is  undeniable  that  the  Canadian  Knights,  in  considering  their 
project  for  the  launching  of  a  war  relief  fund,  encountered  far 
more  difificulties  in  the  actual  collection  of  the  fund  (and, 
strangely  enough,  less  impediments  in  its  application)  than  their 
American  brothers.  The  Catholic  Army  Hut  project  was  suc- 
cessfully launched  in  1917,  contributions  comparatively  modest, 
resulting  from  campaigns  carried  on  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Canadian  Knights  of  Columbus,  sufficing  to  finance  the  com- 
mencement of  operations. 

The  movement  did  not  grow  to  important  dimensions  until 
1918.  In  the  summer  of  1918,  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  approved  the  formation  by  the  Cana- 
dian Knights  of  a  governing  board  for  their  army  hut  work. 
This  was  done,  the  personnel  of  this  board  consisting  of  the 
Canadian  State  Deputies.  J.  J.  Leddy,  State  Deputy  of  Mani- 
toba and  Saskatchewan,  became  the  chairman  of  this  board  of 


THE  KNIGHTS    OF  COMIMIMIS  31M  P'EA.OE  AMB  "^^^^^  1 


Canadian  Knights'  War  Work  343 

directors.  Mr.  Leddy  proved  able  in  the  conduct  of  the  work 
and  was,  at  the  Peace  Convention  of  1919,  elected  to  the  Supreme 
Board  of  Directors.  The  other  members  of  the  Canadian  board 
were  Lieutenant-Colonel  Canon  Sylvestre  of  Ottawa,  Vice-Chair- 
man;  J.  L.  Murray,  Renfrew,  Ont.,  Secretary-Treasurer; 
Dr.  W.  P.  Broderick,  St.  John,  N.  B.;  the  Honorable  George  P. 
Boivin,  K.  C,  M.  P.,  Granby,  Que. ;  L.  A.  Giroux,  Edmonton, 
Alberta;  J.  D.  O'Connell,  Victoria,  B.  C,  and  L.  V.  O'Connor, 
Lindsay,  Ont. 

The  executive  organization  was  completed  by  the  creation  of 
specific  departments  and  the  appointment  of  able  men  to  head 
them,  the  entire  program  of  activity  being  designed  for  both 
w^ar  relief  and  reconstruction  work.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Clar- 
ence F.  Smith  became  controller  of  the  work  and  his  associates 
included  C.  E.  Johnson,  John  Hammill,  F.  S.  Killackey,  Captain 
G.  W.  Ghewy,  James  Niven  and  Captain  R.  Gleason  Smith. 

The  intensive  American  drive  plan,  found  so  successful  as  a 
fund-producer  by  the  American  Knights,  was  introduced,  to  a 
limited  extent,  in  Canada.  Practically  every  sizable  Canadian 
municipality  had  instituted  a  war  fund  for  the  care  of  soldiers 
and  sailors  sojourning  in  the  locality  and  for  the  purpose  of 
making  donations  to  bona  fide  war  relief  work  of  authorized 
purpose.  To  these  municipalities  the  Knights  of  Columbus  did 
not  hesitate  to  appeal.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  similar  non-Catholic 
organizations  had  been  favored,  and  while,  the  Knights  did  not 
meet  with  the  prompt  response  to  which  their  patriotic  work  enti- 
tled them,  they  nevertheless  succeeded  in  convincing  even  the  most 
skeptical  of  the  beneficence  of  their  labors,  and  were  conse- 
quently provided  with  donations  practically  proportionate  to  the 
gifts  bestowed  upon  other  and  larger  organizations. 

In  all,  a  fund  of  more  than  one  million  dollars  was  collected 
for  the  work,  a  fund  as  much  exceeding  the  hopes  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  the  Reverend  W.  T.  Workman,  chief  Canadian  Catholic 
chaplain,  and  other  pioneers  in  the  Canadian  Catholic  Army  Hut 
movement,  as  the  first  independent  war  fund  of  the  American 
Knights  went  beyond  their  original  hopes. 


344      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Rapid  application  of  the  money  collected  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Canadian  service  men  was  as  characteristic  of  the  Canadians  as 
of  the  Americans,  although  the  policy  of  the  work  differed  in  one 
important  particular.  No  distinction  was  made  regarding  the 
creed  or  race  of  those  benefited;  but  in  Canada  the  custom  of 
charging  nominal  prices  for  certain  services  was  maintained. 
The  American  Knights  from  the  outset  adopted  the  policy  of 
"  everything  free,"  and  maintained  that  policy,  despite  periodic 
and  powerful  opposition,  to  the  very  end.  The  Canadian  Knights 
made  nominal  charges  for  food  and  shelter,  although  no  service 
man  without  the  means  was  required  to  pay,  and  it  is  estimated 
that  the  items  charged  for  —  meals  and  beds — were  provided 
gratis  to  as  great  an  extent  as  they  were  sold,  through  the  gener- 
osity, chiefly,  of  women's  auxiliaries  of  the  councils  in  the  locali- 
ties where  the  Canadian  huts  were  operated. 

The  most  licensed  definition  of  the  word  "  hut  "  was  employed 
by  the  Canadian  Knights,  for,  throughout  Canada,  their  huts 
were  always  substantial  buildings.  In  the  camps  overseas,  in 
England,  and  in  France  and  Belgium,  their  structures  were  the 
familiar  army  hut  type;  but  no  less  pretentious  structures  than 
commodious  hotels  were  acquired  by  the  Canadian  hut  fund 
directors  and  labeled  "  huts."  In  Toronto,  one  of  the  best-known 
family  hotels  in  the  city  was  taken  over  and  converted  into  a  hut. 
These  huts  contained  all  the  usual  club  facilities,  swimming 
pools,  showers,  billiard  rooms,  check  rooms,  reading  and  writing 
and  music  rooms,  information  and  employment  bureaus,  dormi- 
tories, etc.  A  flat  rate  of  twenty-five  cents  per  bed  and  twenty- 
five  cents  per  meal  prevailed,  the  meals  being  of  a  substantial 
sort.  Cigarettes  and  pipe  tobacco  were  provided  free,  and  fruit 
and  candy  w^ere  distributed  free  on  frequent  occasions.  Overseas 
the  huts  of  the  Canadian  Knights  were  equipped  like  the  Ameri- 
can huts.  Meals  and  beds  were  not  provided,  excepting  in  cases 
of  emergency;  but  canteens  were  operated,  little  luxuries  being 
retailed  to  the  men  at  cost. 

The  Canadian  Catholic  hut  in  London,  England,  was  one  of 
the  best  equipped  and  best  patronized  relief  institutions  in  the 


Canadian  Knights'  War  Work  345 

whole  of  Europe.  Located  in  a  desirable,  West-end  district,  it 
was  sought  out  by  thousands  of  boys  when  huts  of  other  organiza- 
tions, located  in  the  more  lurid  parts  of  the  British  capital,  were 
practically  vying  with  each  other  for  patronage.  In  charge  of 
capable  English  Catholic  women,  with  a  Canadian  supervisor,  the 
hut  was  successful  from  the  day  it  first  opened  its  doors.  Another 
London  hut,  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  Thames,  accom- 
modated thousands  of  Canadians  of  all  creeds. 

In  all,  the  Canadian  Knights  equipped  and  maintained  fifteen 
huts  in  Canada,  which,  supplemented  by  the  club  rooms  of  the 
Canadian  councils,  provided  ample  club  facilities  for  the  thou- 
sands of  Catholic  boys  in  the  service.  The  percentage  of  Catholics 
in  the  Canadian  forces,  which  were  mostly  volunteer,  was  as  high 
as  the  percentage  in  the  American  army,  when  the  divergence 
in  proportion  to  the  total  population  is  considered.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  in  the  great  Catholic  province  of  Quebec  various 
obstacles,  political  and  otherwise,  intervened  to  prevent  enthusi- 
astic enlistment. 

In  Montreal,  the  headquarters  of  the  Canadian  Catholic  Hut 
movement,  there  were  two  huts  and  one  hut  in  each  of  these 
cities :  Toronto,  Kingston,  Ottawa,  Hamilton  and  London,  Ont. ; 
Winnipeg  and  Brandon,  Manitoba;  Revelstoke,  Vancouver  and 
Victoria,  British  Columbia;  Saskatoon,  Saskatchewan;  Halifax, 
Nova  Scotia ;  and  St.  John,  New  Brunswick.  The  work  at  these 
huts  came  under  what  would  be  styled  community  work  by  the 
American  Knights,  as  distinct  from  the  hut  work  in  the  camps. 
The  Canadian  huts  were  essentially  service  houses.  An  idea  of 
the  service  they  afforded  can  be  obtained  from  the  fact  that  the 
Toronto  hut  accommodated  with  beds  32,224  men  in  twelve 
months  and  served  103,699  meals  in  the  same  period. 

Having  been  at  war  for  about  three  years,  the  Canadian 
Knights,  from  the  outset  of  their  work,  could  make  it  a  prin- 
ciple to  select  as  their  secretaries  or  operatives,  men  who  had  seen 
service  in  the  army.  Many  of  the  workers  employed  were 
veterans.  These  men  were  necessarily  younger  than  the  Ameri- 
cans who  served  with  the  Knights  of  Columbus.    They  wore  no 


346      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

distinctive  uniform,  as  did  their  American  confreres,  but  either 
worked  in  their  regular  miHtary  uniforms,  or  in  mufti.  They 
were  all  men  who  understood  the  needs  of  the  service  man, 
w^hether  under  fire,  in  rest  areas  or  back  home,  and  by  this  prac- 
tical human  sympathy  they  earned  for  themselves  a  reputation 
similar  to  that  of  their  American  brothers,  losing  nothing  in 
popularity  as  compared  with  other  agencies,  because  circum- 
stances had  delayed  the  initiation  of  their  work.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  the  Canadian  effort  was  mainly  a  post-armistice  work 
of  large  proportions  and  signally  beneficent  results.  The 
Canadian  soldiers  left  the  service  with  a  firm  impression  of  the 
generosity  of  the  Canadian  Catholic  people,  gained  at  first  over- 
seas when  the  Catholic  Army  Huts  provided  religious  facilities 
which  could  not  otherwise  have  been  obtained.  Both  overseas 
and  at  home  everything  was  done  that  was  humanly  possible  to 
promote  their  comfort  in  the  disturbances  of  demobilization,  and 
every  reasonable  effort  was  made  to  secure  them  employment. 
The  success  of  this  work,  patterned  after  the  employment  work 
in  America,  is  adjudged  by  the  remarkable  number  of  men  placed 
by  the  Canadian  Knights.  The  Canadian  Knights  through 
Returned  Soldiers  Committees,  enabled  hundreds  of  veterans  to 
obtain  war  service  gratuities  and  in  numerous  ways  assisted  in 
the  labor  of  returning  Canada's  citizen  army  to  civil  life. 

While  this  Canadian  work  was  not  restricted  to  men  of  any 
creed  or  race,  neither  was  it  confined  to  the  army.  The  men  of 
the  British  navy  were  welcome  patrons  of  the  Canadian  huts, 
and  thousands  of  them  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  these  attractive 
places.  In  particular  one  Canadian  Catholic  institution  —  the 
sailors'  home  at  Montreal  —  operated  by  a  Canadian  Knight  of 
Columbus,  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Atherton,  furnished  a  haven  for  men  of 
the  naval  and  mercantile  service  during  their  stay  in  the  largest 
Canadian  port. 

And  just  as  the  American  Knights  made  Canadian  service  men 
welcome  to  all  the  privileges  they  offered  their  own  American 
boys  —  the  service  rendered  to  the  British  fleet  at  Dalmatia,  when 
the  British  commander  placed  his  gratitude  on  record  in  a  letter 


Canadian  Knights'  War  Work  347 

appearing  in  the  second  volume  of  this  book,  and  the  service 
rendered  the  gallant  crew  of  the  British  airship  R-34,  being 
notable  instances  among  many  —  the  Canadian  Knights  gave  of 
their  hospitality  to  American  troops.  At  the  port  of  Halifax, 
whence  hundreds  of  thousands  of  American  soldiers  embarked 
for  France,  the  Canadian  Knights  were  particularly  industrious 
in  their  regard  for  American  fighting  men.  Every  American 
transport  or  allied  vessel  carrying  American  troops,  pausing  at 
Halifax  either  eastbound  during  hostilities,  or  westbound  after 
the  armistice,  was  met  by  the  tug  chartered  by  the  Halifax 
Council  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  barrels  of  fruit  and 
boxes  of  cigarettes  and  candy  and  crates  of  pies  were  distributed 
gratis.  Work  of  this  nature  was  also  done  at  St.  John  and 
Montreal.  Everywhere  the  reciprocity  of  Columbianism  was 
manifested  to  Canadians,  British  and  Americans  alike. 

The  Canadian  Knights  went  into  their  work  with  the  same  zeal 
that  marked  the  entry  of  their  American  brothers  into  the  same 
vast  and  hitherto  unexplored  field,  and  they  have  emerged 
crowned  with  brilliant  success,  a  fitting  recompense  for  the  sacri- 
fice which  they  all  —  the  humblest  and  the  wealthiest  —  made  for 
the  common  cause.  They  have  demonstrated,  to  neighbors  almost 
harshly  skeptical  and  usually  on  the  offensive  against  them,  especi- 
ally in  those  large  provinces  of  Canada  where  the  Catholics  are 
overwhelmingly  in  the  minority,  that  the  Canadian  Catholic  is  as 
loyal  to  the  flag  under  which  he  lives  as  any  other  Canadian.  The 
final  effect  of  their  work  is  already  being  demonstrated,  since  the 
return  of  the  Canadian  Expeditionary  Forces,  in  a  diminishing 
of  the  hostility  towards  Catholics  stimulated  in  the  last  elections 
by  political  contention  of  none  too  scrupulous  a  character,  and  in 
an  unquestionable  increase  in  prestige  for  the  Catholic  name  in 
Canada.  The  success  of  the  work  is  also  reacting  on  Columbian- 
ism in  Canada  by  a  growth  more  flourishing  than  any  ever 
experienced  since  the  introduction  of  the  Order  into  the  Dominion 
some  twenty  years  ago* 


348      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Controller  Clarence  F.  Smith  received  from  the  highest  mili- 
tary official  in  the  Canadian  Government,  the  following  letter  — 
one  of  the  most  notable  documents  in  the  history  of  Catholics  in 
Canada : 

Department  of  Militia  &  Defence,  Canada 

Minister's  Office,  Ottawa,  iith  Sept.,  1919. 

My  Dear  Colonel  : 

Now  that  the  demobilization  of  the  Canadian  Expeditionary  Force  is 
drawing  to  a  close,  I  would  like  to  place  on  record  my  appreciation  and  the 
appreciation  of  the  Department  of  Militia  and  Defence  in  Canada,  of  the 
wonderful  work  done  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Catholic  Army  Huts, 
not  only  for  the  troops  overseas,  but  for  all  the  returned  men  coming  back 
to  Canada. 

I  understand  it  is  the  intention  to  continue  your  organization  in  Canada 
in  connection  with  the  reestablishment  of  the  Canadian  soldiers  on  their 
return  home.  It  must  be  a  gratification  to  the  Citizens  of  Canada  who  have 
contributed  so  generously  of  their  funds,  to  know  that  the  splendid  efforts 
of  you  and  your  associates  have  done  so  much  to  help  the  returned  soldiers. 

With  kindest  personal  regards,  believe  me, 

Yours  faithfully, 

(Signed)     S.  C.  Mewburn. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
THE  MANLY  ARTS  EXEMPLIFIED 

IN  the  spirit  of  the  frankest  democracy  we  may  say  that  the 
war  with  Germany  was  won  on  the  back  lots  and  college 
gridirons  of  America.  Never  in  the  history  of  modern  war 
has  there  been  an  army  so  devoted  to  every  kind  of  wholesome 
sport  as  the  American  army.  To  say  that  the  Government,  in 
summoning  the  young  manhood  of  the  nation  into  camps  and 
sending  it  overseas,  provided  generously  in  the  matter  of  time 
for  sports  for  the  men  in  the  army  and  navy,  is  another  way  of 
saying  that  the  government  naturally  sought  to  have  the  fittest 
military  establishment  it  could  produce.  The  sporting  instinct, 
interpreting  those  words  in  their  best  meaning,  is  one  of  the  sup- 
ports of  morale.  With  that  instinct  wisely  cultivated,  fortitude 
and  courage  were  the  rule. 

From  the  moment  of  their  entry  into  the  camps  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  gave  close  attention  to  sports.  The  Knights  never,  in 
their  entire  record  of  service,  made  so  happy  a  decision,  so  far  as 
actual  personal  enjoyment  by  the  men  was  concerned  (saving, 
perhaps,  when  the  Knights  declared  their  famous  "  Everything 
Free  "  policy)  than  when  they  decided  to  promote  interest  in 
boxing. 

This  sport,  through  rank  commercialism,  had  dropped  into  dis- 
repute before  the  war.  Its  companion  sport,  wrestling,  had  also 
become  less  popular.  Boxing  was  at  once  introduced  by  the 
Knights  into  all  their  camp  buildings.  Of  course,  other  pastimes 
were  given  due  consideration,  and  equipment  was  carried  in  every 
building  for  whatever  forms  of  sport  were  practicable.  But 
boxing  was  the  leading  diversion  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
were  fortunate  in  securing  the  services,  as  secretaries,  of  men 
well-known  as  a  type  of  decent  professional  boxers.  The  Govern- 
ment had  commissioned  many  of  these  modern  gladiators  to  go 
into  the  camps  and  train  the  men  in  the  manly  art,  and  the  Knights 
augmented  the  Government's  work. 

[349] 


350      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

At  Camp  Gordon,  in  the  Autumn  of  1918,  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  managed  to  collect  a  great  number  of  celebrated  boxers. 
No  fewer  than  fifty  past  and  present  champions  gave  exhibitions, 
with  Robert  McCusker,  Knights  of  Columbus  athletic  director  at 
the  camp,  as  master  of  ceremonies.  This  constituted  one  of  the 
greatest  athletic  events  ever  held  at  a  home'  camp,  but  the  Knights 
excelled  it  with  the  Olympiad  at  Camp  Dix,  under  the  direction 
of  Secretary  Frank  A.  Wandle,.  when  hundreds  of  army  athletes 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  participated  for  championship 
trophies.  At  this  camp,  too,  was  staged  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
remount  circus,  which  attracted  thousands  of  visitors,  civilian 
and  military. 

Before  any  large  number  of  troops  had  left  this  country  for 
France,  the  idea  prevailed  in  the  army  that  the  organization  most 
active  in  the  promotion  of  sports  was  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 
In  the  Knights  of  Columbus  buildings  boxing  and  wrestling 
matches  were  practically  daily  occurrences.  In  fair  weather,  the 
Knights  staged  open-air  tournaments.  Knights  of  Columbus 
councils  located  near  camps  co-operated  in  securing  professionals 
to  entertain  the  boys.  Perhaps  Camp  Merritt,  N.  J.,  was  the  most 
fortunate  camp  of  all  in  this  respect.  Being  of  the  character  of 
a  farewell  camp,  where  troops  remained  only  a  few  days  before 
embarking  for  Europe,  it  held  an  especially  sentimental  appeal, 
and  being  quite  near  New  York  it  was  convenient  to  scores  of 
professionals  ready  to  volunteer  their  services.  The  result  was 
that  no  sporting  club  in  the  world  was  favored  with  so  many  high 
class  exhibitions  as  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  enabled  to 
give  at  this  camp. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  did  not  emphasize  boxing  in  their 
program  of  sports.  They  found  the  demand  for  boxing  exhibi- 
tions greater  than  that  for  any  other  form  of  sport,  especially 
during  the  cold  months  of  the  year,  so  they  proceeded  to  satisfy 
this  demand.  Their  attitude  was  truly  and  tersely  expressed  by 
a  gentleman  well-acquainted  with  pugilists,  who  patriotically 
devoted  much  of  his  spare  time  to  staging  boxing  exhibitions  in 
Knights  of  Columbus  huts  at  home.    During  one  of  these  shows, 


The  Manly  Arts  Exemplified  351 

the  delight  of  the  soldiers,  who  literally  crammed  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  building,  was  excessively  emphatic,  and  it  disturbed  the 
progress  of  an  ethical  culture  lecture  in  the  building  of  another 
relief  organization  but  a  few  yards  away.  The  lecturer,  after  his 
address  ended  and  his  rather  meagre  audience  dispersed,  walked 
over  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  hut  and  encountered  the  pro- 
vider of  the  boxing  show  outside. 

"  Doesn't  it  seem  to  you,"  he  queried,  "  rather  debasing  to  have 
such  noisy  exhibitions  of  a  pastime  which,  to  say  the  least,  is 
rough?" 

The  boxing  impresario  (Thomas  Cassidy  of  Hoboken)  looked 
down  gravely  on  his  questioner. 

"  What  do  you  think  the  boys  in  this  camp  are  being  trained 
for,"  he  demanded,  "  to  have  afternoon  teas  or  to  batter  the 
'  kultur  '  out  of  the  Germans  ?  " 

In  all  branches  of  sport  —  football,  baseball,  basketball,  fenc- 
ing, track,  pushball  —  the  Knights  of  Columbus  home  camp  work 
was  distinguished.  In  terms  of  money  the  Knights  devoted  about 
$1,000,000  to  sport  equipment,  for  home  camp  purposes — this 
exclusive  of  ordinary  indoor  games,  such  as  billiards.  Overseas 
the  Knights  carried  out  a  program  of  sports  and  general  athletics 
that  made  them  famous  in  every  unit  of  the  .American  Expedi- 
tionary Forces.  The  success  achieved  by  the  Knights  was  really 
astonishing.  The  pioneer  band  of  chaplains  who  first  established 
the  reputation  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  abroad  did  so  partly 
by  distributing  equipment  among  the  men,  and  also  by  active  par- 
ticipation in  the  army's  games.  When  the  secretaries  of  athletic 
reputation  arrived  overseas  and  commenced  organizing  sport 
exhibitions  and  competitions  among  the  men,  the  effect  was  elec- 
trical. The  word  spread  rapidly  through  the  army,  with  the  result 
that  the  initials  "  K.  C."  became  synonymous  with  clean,  intensive 
sport. 

The  Knights  were  the  first  war  relief  organization  to  send  over 
athletes  of  national  fame.  John  Evers,  the  celebrated  major 
league  baseball  player,  captain  of  the  famous  Boston  National 
League  team  which  won  the  World's  Championship  in  1914,  spent 


352      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

about  six  months  in  France  as  general  athletic  director  for  the 
Knights  of  Columbus.  Evers  organized  an  efficient  staff  of 
experts  in  the  various  lines  of  sport.  Supported  by  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  executives  in  Paris  and  New  York,  this  sports 
department  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  went  into  all  the  great 
rest  areas  and  training  camps  in  France,  and  even  to  the  front, 
distributing  equipment,  organizing  contests  and  coaching  the  men 
in  the  science  of  the  different  games.  There  was  scarcely  a  unit 
of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  that  did  not,  even  before 
the  cessation  of  hostilities,  witness  Knights  of  Columbus  boxing 
and  wrestling  shows.  After  the  armistice  the  Knights  multi- 
plied their  endeavors  in  the  sports  department  to  an  extent  that 
made  it  difficult  for  a  soldier  overseas  to  miss  a  sport  event. 

The  army  authorities,  knowing  through  their  official  contact 
with  the  troops,  the  vast  ascendancy  gained  by  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  in  sport  matters  accorded  the  Knights  the  full  and 
exclusive  privilege  of  promoting  boxing  with  the  A,  E.  F.  Inci- 
dentally, it  must  be  mentioned  that  this  exclusive  privilege  was 
not  respected.  Upon  one  pretext  or  another  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  athletic  directors  were  obstructed  in  their  attempts  to 
act  in  full  accordance  with  the  privilege  they  understood  to  be 
theirs.  Without  co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  military  authori- 
ties it  was  impossible  for  the  Knights  to  render  the  service  they 
planned  and  which  they  were  well  able  to  perform.  The  officer 
in  charge  of  athletics  displayed  unmistakable  prejudice  against 
the  plans  of  the  Knights;  but  throughout  all  the  haggling  and 
squabbling  for  the  privilege  of  entertaining  the  men  (a  condition 
of  things  on  its  face  ridiculous)  the  Knights  proceeded,  as  far  as 
they  could  without  violating  military  regulations  under  which  they 
operated  as  a  relief  agency  with  the  A.  E.  F.,  to  stage  their 
athletic  exhibitions  when  and  where  they  could. 

This  policy  was  quite  successful,  a  total  of  500  boxing  and 
wrestling  exhibitions  being  staged  by  the  Knights  for  the  Army 
of  Occupation  in  the  first  three  months  of  the  term  of  occupation. 
Exhibitions  proportionately  numerous  were  maintained  until  the 
American  forces  left  the  Rhineland.     But  punishment  for  their 


The  Manly  Arts  Exemplified  353 

success  was  visited  upon  the  Knights  when  the  Interallied  Athletic 
Meet  was  held  at  the  Pershing  Stadium  at  Colombes  Field,  Paris. 

The  impression  had  been  made  through  the  United  States  that 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  financed  the  Interallied  Games.  Cer- 
tainly the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  contributed  the  lion's  share  towards  the 
cost  of  the  games,  because  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  received  the 
lion's  share  of  the  United  War  Fund.  But  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus made  a  money  gift  of  125,000  francs  to  the  Army  Athletic 
Fund  —  a  gift  acknowledged  by  Colonel  Johnson  in  a  warm 
letter  of  appreciation  to  Overseas  Commissioner  Murray  —  this 
fund  presumably  being  employed  to  finance  the  Interallied  games. 
The  amazing  injustice  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  connection 
with  these  games  was  the  exclusion  of  all  Knights  of  Columbus 
men  from  the  official  program  of  the  games,  although  they  had 
aided  to  train  the  athletes  who  participated.  Chairman  Raymond 
B.  Fosdick,  of  the  Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities, 
testified  to  this  fact  in  his  public  report.  Yet  no  Knights  of 
Columbus  man  in  charge  of  athletics,  so  the  verbal  order  was 
given  to  Secretary  Carey,  could  appear  in  Colombes  Field  in  his 
uniform. 

No  reason  was  given  for  these  inhibitions;  but  the  general 
charge  was  made  —  this,  too,  orally  —  that  the  Knights  lacked 
the  necessary  talent  among  their  personnel  to  entitle  them  to 
representation  on  the  executive  staff  handling  the  Interallied 
games.  It  was  of  no  avail  to  combat  this  charge  with  the  names 
of  the  men  wearing  the  Knights  of  Columbus  uniform,  men  well 
qualified  to  undertake  high  class  athletic  work  with  the  army  — 
men  who  had  been  successfully  engaged  in  work  of  this  character 
throughout  their  stay  in  France  and  Germany.  The  discrimina- 
tion was  made,  officially,  and  so  it  stood.  It  is  no  exaggeration 
to  say  that  if  the  first  arrangement  of  exclusive  management  of 
boxing  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had  gone  undisturbed,  the 
men  of  the  army  would  have  benefited  from  the  efficiency  of  the 
efforts  in  their  behalf,  instead  of  having  executive  talent  and  time 
that  could  have  accomplished  this,  spent  in  asserting  rights  and 
striving  for  consistent  recognition  of  a  privilege  already  granted. 


354      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Since  the  return  of  the  A.  E.  F.  there  has  been  a  noticeable  ele- 
vation of  the  standard  of  boxing  in  public  esteem.  This  better- 
ment will  probably  increase  as  time  advances.  For  this  recovery 
of  the  prestige  of  the  sport  the  efforts  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
are  mainly  responsible.  Never  before  in  the  history  of  boxing 
have  so  many  contests  been  held  as  were  held  in  the  six  months 
following  the  armistice  in  France,  Belgium,  Italy,  Germany  and 
England,  largely  under  the  auspices  of  the  Knights.  This  eleva- 
tion of  the  sport  was  accomplished  by  treating  it  as  a  sport,  by 
having  well-trained  boxers  pit  their  skill  against  each  other  for 
non-negotiable  prizes,  and  by  having  these  contests  witnessed  by 
thousands  of  men  who  paid  no  admission  fee,  who,  for  the  most 
part,  saw  the  contests  in  the  open  air  —  sometimes  near  the  front, 
oftener  in  a  rest  area,  and,  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  in 
the  public  squares  and  parks  of  big  cities.  Every  day  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  staged  over  three  hundred  boxing  contests.  They 
were  instrumental  in  picking  out  the  very  best  talent  in  the  army, 
and  by  this  means  were  able  to  provide  the  United  States  with 
admirable  representation  at  the  Interallied  Boxing  Championship 
matches  held  in  London  in  the  first  part  of  December,  1918,  where 
Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  acted  as  officials. 

In  Paris  before  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  while  fighting  was 
at  its  height,  the  Knights  provided  boxing  entertainment  for  men 
on  leave  in  that  city.  After  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  boxing  shows  in  Paris  became  the  dominant 
topic  in  the  sporting  pages  of  the  newspapers  read  by  the  men  of 
the  A.  E.  F.  John  J.  Carey,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  a  man  well- 
known  in  sporting  circles,  had  been  promoted  from  assistant  to 
head  of  the  athletic  department  on  the  return  of  John  Evers  to 
the  United  States  in  December,  1918.  Carey  had  as  his  asso- 
ciates men  of  international  repute  —  all  Knights  of  Columbus 
secretaries ;  Sam  Fitzpatrick,  one  time  manager  of  Jack  Johnson, 
the  heavyweight  champion  of  the  world;  Jack  Mcx\uliffe,  unde- 
feated lightweight  champion  of  the  world;  William  Roche,  one 
of  the  leading  referees ;  Danny  Dunn  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  a  well- 
known  pugilist;  Biz  Mackey,  an  experienced  athletic  trainer; 


The  Manly  Arts  Exemplified  355 

Eddie  McGoorty,  Michael  O'Dowd,  Joseph  Lynch,  Gene  Delmont, 
Alex  McLean,  William  McCabe,  Jack  Lewis,  Tom  Connolly,  J.  E. 
Fitzpatrick,  Eddie  Conway,  Frank  Flynn,  Tom  McFarland,  James 
Twyford,  George  McCarthy,  Eddie  O'Rourke,  William  Bordeau, 
John  McAvey,  Joseph  L.  Halloran,  J.  A.  Kelly,  F.  H.  Edwards, 
J.  H.  Hicks,  J.  Hanegan,  David  Driscoll,  Eddie  Behan,  and  others 
were  on  the  staff  of  the  department.  These  men  worked  for  the 
soldiers  with  disinterested  eagerness.  In  teams  of  two  and  three 
they  visited  practically  every  American  regiment,  choosing  men 
with  a  talent  for  boxing,  training  them  and  matching  them  with 
others  and  giving  the  boxers  the  benefit  of  public  appearance 
before  their  comrades,  and  the  soldiers,  of  good  clean  contests 
between  representatives  of  different  regiments  This  system 
created  a  spirit  of  wholesome  competition  between  the  various 
units  that  made  for  valuable  diversion  during  the  long  period  of 
waiting  for  assignment  to  transports  for  home. 

The  Knights  engaged  the  Salle  Wagram  in  Paris,  a  hall  located 
in  the  theatre  district.  There  they  put  up  two  boxing  rings, 
and  twice  a  week,  ten  thousand  men  would  gather  to  witness  the 
most  unique  boxing  exhibitions  ever  given.  The  devotee  of  box- 
ing is  usually  a  man  who  likes  incessant  action.  W^ith  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  in  the  Salle  Wagram,  Paris,  this  was  found.  As 
two  boxers  concluded  a  round  in  one  ring,  a  fresh  round  would  be 
commenced  by  two  in  the  other  ring,  No  more  bounteous  boxing 
fare  has  ever  been  served.  Officers  of  the  armies  of  the  United 
States,  France,  and  Italy  and  the  British  Empire  would  meet  in 
the  Salle  Wagram.  No  reservations  were  made  so  it  was  no 
uncommon  thing  to  see  a  private  seated  beside  a  major-general 
at  the  ringside.  Boxers  from  all  the  nations  associated  in  the 
war  competed  there  for  the  prizes  the  Knights  offered. 

The  Knights  took  especial  care  to  recognize  the  growth  of  box- 
ing as  a  popular  pastime  in  France,  in  which  country  it  had  only 
evolved  within  recent  memory  from  an  affair  of  footwork  to  one 
of  handwork.  Frenchmen  have  become  good  boxers,  and  the 
men  in  the  French  army  and  navy  were  especially  good. 


356      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

When  it  was  practical  to  do  so,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
extended  their  athletic  operations  into  Germany,  Belgium,  and 
Italy.  A  most  pretentious  boxing  circuit  was  created,  supplying 
exhibitions  to  all  the  members  of  the  A.  E.  F,  wherever  they  were 
located.  In  addition  the  Knights  aided  the  military  authorities, 
who  assumed  control  of  all  sports,  to  discover  and  train  candi- 
dates for  the  A.  E.  F.  championship  tournaments  in  Paris.  With 
the  Third  Army  the  Knights  made  a  record  typical  of  their  entire 
athletic  programme.  During  four  months,  they  staged  over  four 
hundred  bouts  at  Wittlich,  West  Trier,  Coblenz  (where  the 
famous  Fest  Halle  was  employed),  Esch,  Trier,  and  Andernach. 
Lieut. -Col.  Arthur  D.  Johnson  was  athletic  officer  for  the  Third 
Army,  and  he  welcomed  the  aid  given  him  by  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  secretaries  in  promoting  a  relish  for  sports  among  the 
men  who  had  the  tedious  task  of  keeping  order  in  Germany.  The 
largest  crowd  ever  assembled  to  witness  a  boxing  match  in 
Europe  was  when  25,000  fighting  men  assembled  at  Le  Mans, 
when  the  Knights  set  up  a  "  ring  "  in  the  public  square  and  staged 
eight  bouts  for  the  championship  of  the  American  Embarkation 
Center. 

Tens  of  thousands  of  pairs  of  boxing  gloves,  and  hundreds 
of  wrestling  mats  were  sent  overseas  by  the  Knights,  besides 
skipping  ropes,  towels,  alcohol  and  other  accessories  of  boxing 
and  wrestling.  In  the  hundreds  of  contests  staged  by  the  Knights 
not  one  evidence  of  bad  feeling  was  ever  shown,  and  the  care 
with  which  only  fit  candidates  were  selected  is  proved  by  the 
fact  that  not  one  man  was  ever  seriously  injured  in  any  con- 
test  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

Boxing  was  a  sport  provided  continuously  for  the  A.  E.  F. 
and  upon  the  reputation  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  boxing 
exhibitions  was  founded  the  permanent  popularity  of  the  sports 
programme.  But  the  greatest  athletic  event  promoted  and 
brought  to  a  successful  conclusion  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  — 
probably  the  outstanding  single  athletic  event  during  the  entire 
history  of  the  A.  E.  F.  was  the  relay  marathon  from  Chateau- 
Thierry  to  Paris  held  under  their  auspices. 


THE  JKKIOMT^   OF  COLIIMHIDLS  IH  MEM3E  A^})  "^WM^ 


Open-air  bouta  at  Bordeaox 


The  Manly  Arts  Exemplified  357 

This  classic  race  followed  a  similar  marathon  held  between 
Cochem  and  Coblenz,  also  under  the  auspices  of  the  Knights. 
Secretaries  Owen,  Merrick  and  James  Shields  were  prominent 
factors  in  both.  Two  hundred  picked  athletes  from  the  various 
divisions  of  the  A.  E.  F.  participated  in  the  Chateau-Thierry- 
Paris  marathon.  The  race  was  run  over  much  of  the  terrain 
of  the  second  battle  of  the  Marne,  and  on  the  anniversary  of  the 
beginning  of  the  German  onslaught  which  reached  its  climax 
in  the  battle  of  Chateau-Thierry.  Overseas  Commissioner 
Lawrence  O.  Murray,  gave  the  signal  for  the  start  at  Chateau- 
Thierry  and  at  Paris  Major-General  Hart,  Commandant  of  the 
Paris  District,  crowned  with  laurel  the  winner  of  the  race,  Mat- 
thew Lynch  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  member  of  the  American  Embar- 
kation Center  Team. 

Five  hundred  thousand  persons  witnessed  the  race,  which 
created  the  greatest  excitement  throughout  the  countryside  since 
the  day  the  Germans  were  halted  in  their  attempt  to  break 
through  to  the  gates  of  Paris.  President  Woodrow  Wilson  per- 
sonally congratulated  the  victor,  who  had  carried  a  message 
from  the  battle-field  of  Chateau-Thierry  entrusted  to  him  by 
Brigadier-General  McLennon,  who  had  originally  commanded 
the  machine-gunners  who  stopped  the  German  onrush  at  the  little 
French  town  which  will  be  forever  famous  in  American  history. 
The  President  accepted  the  message,  and  attended  a  banquet 
given  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  on  the  evening  following  the 
race  in  honor  of  the  contestants.  The  Knights  presented  the  win- 
ning team  with  silver  medals,  and  the  second  and  third  teams 
with  other  tokens.  Physically,  the  race  was  the  longest  relay 
marathon  ever  held,  covering  over  thirty  miles,  and  taking  two 
hours  and  a  half  in  the  running. 

In  baseball  the  Knights  achieved  the  same  excellent  results 
that  were  theirs  in  other  fields  of  sport.  It  is  estimated  that, 
every  day,  five  thousand  games  of  baseball  were  played  by  men 
of  the  A.  E.  F.  with  equipment  provided  by  the  Knights.  In  the 
home  camps,  of  course,  this  number  was  definitely  approached 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  army  itself  provided  large 
24 


358      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

quantities  of  equipment.  Even  into  Poland  the  Knights  took  the 
American  national  game  for  the  benefit  of  the  twenty  thousand 
Polish-American  troops  who  would  otherwise  have  been  deprived 
of  the  pastime.  In  Siberia  and  Alaska  the  game  has  been  played 
with  equipment  supplied  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

But  with  their  aptitude  for  doing  the  unusual  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  provided  the  most  talked  of  baseball  innovation  over- 
seas by  establishing  a  school  for  umpires  at  Coblenz.  William 
Friel,  the  ex-major  league  player,  was  '*  dean  "  of  this  school 
from  which  were  graduated  many  army  men  to  umpire  games  of 
their  comrades. 

The  delicate  position  of  an  umpire  of  American  baseball  games 
has  become  as  proverbial  in  the  humorous  papers  as  the  relations 
of  a  man  with  his  mother-in-law ;  the  umpire  is  generally  depicted 
as  a  person  who  flees  from  the  wrath  that  is  come.  In  France 
and  Germany  the  position  of  the  umpire  was  no  less  precarious 
than  in  our  country,  the  rivalry  between  the  Army  teams  was 
even  more  bitter  than  that  which  makes  the  annual  football  con- 
test between  the  Army  and  the  Navy  a  very  volcano  in  action. 
An  acute  and  perhaps  unscrupulous  secretary  conceived  the 
happy  idea,  when  he  saw  the  excitement  mounting  to  fever  heat, 
of  warning  the  band  to  play  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner." 
Everybody  was  compelled  to  stand  at  attention  and  rocks  held 
ready  to  avenge  an  unpopular  decision  fell  from  reverent  hands. 

So  eager  were  the  Knights  to  promote  the  national  games  that 
they  overcame  many  difficulties  to  further  them.  On  one  occasion 
when  Secretary  Joseph  Mulry,  a  well-known  middle-western 
baseball  man,  was  scheduled  to  serve  Mass  on  a  Sunday  morning 
and  umpire  a  baseball  game  on  the  same  afternoon,  the  two 
events  taking  place  at  distant  points,  he  employed  the  services 
of  an  aviator  to  transport  him  from  the  church  to  the  diamond. 

Chairman  Fosdick  of  the  Commission  on  Training  Camp 
Activities  paid  tribute  to  the  capable  athletic  work  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  for  the  A.  E.  F.  in  his  report  made  public  in  the 
summer  of  1918.  By  large  gifts  of  money  to  the  Army  athletic 
funds  the  Knights  stimulated  interest  in  sports,  even  when  they 


The  Manly  Arts  Exemplified  359 

did  not  personally  manage  them;  but  experience  taught  the 
officials  in  charge  of  army  athletics  that,  without  the  Knights, 
no  athletic  event  for  the  A.  E.  F.  could  be  wholly  successful. 

And  the  efforts  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  not  restricted 
to  spectacular  events,  although  in  truth  it  must  be  written  that 
they  originated  the  spectacular  things — the  Interallied  Regatta 
on  the  Seine  originated  with  the  Knights,  as  well  as  the  A.  E.  F. 
boxing  championship  competition.  But  in  every-day  sports  — 
baseball,  basketball,  swimming,  fencing,  sharpshooting  and  track 
meets — the  Knights  excelled.  William  Varley,  the  sculling 
champion ;  Patrick  Coyne,  the  walking  champion ;  Thomas  John- 
son, the  pistol  champion ;  George  Le  Mothe,  champion  fencer,  and 
John  Hayes,  winner  of  the  Marathon  at  the  Olympic  games  in 
London  in  1908,  were  among  the  many  who  gave  their  services 
freely.  These  experts,  added  to  the  galaxy  of  baseball  stars  like 
William  Friel,  Jack  Barry,  Peter  Noonan,  Jack  Hendricks,  Wil- 
liam Coughlin,  William  McCabe  and  J.  B.  Kerin,  who  developed 
an  expertness  in  sports  in  the  thousands  of  boys  with  whom  they 
came  in  contact. 

The  personnel  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  counted  for  much 
more  in  sports  than  the  equipment  sent  over,  although  their 
pecuniary  value  was  very  large.  The  Knights  spent  their  funds 
liberally  on  sports  for  the  soldiers  —  one  event,  an  aquatic 
and  land  motor  race  at  St.  Nazaire,  costing  120,000  francs. 
When  the  boys  returned  home  they  found  the  Knights  ready  for 
them  in  camps  with  intensive  programs  of  sports  —  flying  squads 
of  professional  and  amateur  boxers  being  always  on  hand  to 
entertain  them. 

From  beginning  to  end  the  Knights  of  Columbus  provided 
all  the  sports  the  boys  desired.  This  work  was  done  with- 
out preliminary  organization  —  simply  by  the  call  for  volunteer 
athletes,  who  responded  eagerly  and  went  to  work  overseas 
strenuously.  The  Knights  were  equally  successful  in  providing 
sports  for  the  navy,  athletic  contests  being  held  aboard  scores 
of  warships  under  the  Knights  of  Columbus  auspices,  and  in  all 
naval  and  marine  training  camps. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
HEWING  TO  THE  LINE 

MUCH  has  been  said  in  these  chapters,  and  more  may  be 
inferred  from  them  by  the  reader,  concerning  the  handi- 
caps under  which  the  Knights  of  Columbus  labored  in 
beginning  their  war  work  in  Europe.  There  they  had  no  organi- 
zation, as  had  other  American  relief  agencies  and  they  were  not 
at  first  received  by  the  Governments  of  our  Allies  with  the  enthu- 
siastic welcome  bestowed  upon  the  other  agencies  for  relief. 
Neither  were  they  fortified  with  explicit  orders  from  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States  — 
the  President  —  to  the  military  commanders,  ordering  their 
recognition  as  a  relief  agency  and  as  a  part  of  the  American 
forces  abroad.  The  Knights  were  obliged  to  secure  approval  for 
their  work  directly  from  General  Pershing,  and  they  had  to  go 
to  France  to  obtain  that  approval.  Had  they  been  as  fortunate 
as  their  companion  organizations,  they  would  have  been  saved 
time  and  labor  and  that  uncertainty  which  hindered  them  from 
taking  positive  and  progressive  steps  abroad  until  definite  per- 
mission to  do  work  with  the  A.  E.  F.  had  been  secured. 

In  his  public  statement  issued  on  June  22,  1919,  the  Honorable 
Raymond  B.  Fosdick  stated  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had 
entered  the  field  of  war  relief  work  overseas  rather  late  and  that 
they  had  never  quite  overcome  this  handicap.  Of  course,  this 
was  Mr.  Fosdick's  personal  opinion.  No  doubt  the  Knights  had 
suffered  by  their  late  entry  into  the  work  overseas,  but  they  over- 
came the  physical  handicaps  which  limited  time  and  limited 
resources  imposed  upon  them.  The  handicap  they  never  quite 
overcame  was  the  recurrence  of  official  restraint  at  home  — 
restraint  which  on  occasion  threatened  to  be  obstruction,  and 
which  might  easily  have  become  such,  but  for  the  rigid  hewing 
to  the  line  of  original  policy  on  the  part  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus Supreme  Board  of  Directors  in  all  their  dealings  with  the 
Government,  the  men  in  the  service,  and  the  public. 

[360] 


Hewing  to  the  Line  361 

While  the  Knights  of  Columbus  did  not  at  the  beginning  issue 
any  formal  statement  of  policy  regarding  their  war  work,  the 
first  principle  of  that  work  —  that  of  making  no  charge  to  the 
soldiers  for  the  service  rendered  them,  and  for  creature  comforts 
and  entertainments  given  them  —  was  well  understood  by  every- 
body who  gave  to  their  war  fund.  The  Knights  were  free  from 
all  previous  business  entanglement,  they  had  accepted  no  official 
canteen  work,  for  their  leaders  believed  that  would  have  seriously 
obstructed  the  performance  of  their  duties  to  every  soldier  in  the 
ranks.  Much  had  been  received,  and  the  essential  principle  of 
their  service  demanded  that  all  must  be  given.  The  mother  in 
a  little  mountain  village  in  North  Carolina,  who  had  made  the 
sacrifice  of  the  widow's  mite,  must  know  that  her  contribution 
would  reach  her  son  at  the  front  as  she  gave  it.  What  was 
received  must  be  returned  to  the  soldier,  not  as  alms,  but  as  his 
right.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  were  the  servants  of  God  and 
of  the  fighting  men.  This  principle  made  them  only  trustees. 
Simple  and  reasonable  as  it  seems,  it  became  the  storm  center 
of  the  entire  plan  of  the  war  relief  work  of  the  seven  accredited 
agencies  —  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Salva- 
tion Army,  the  Jewish  Welfare  Board,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  the 
War  Camp  Community  Service  and  the  American  Library 
Association. 

The  first  question  that  arose  was  that  of  the  right  of  the 
Knights  to  do  what  other  fraternal  organizations  were  forbidden 
to  do.  Secretary  of  War  Baker  answered  this  question  briefly 
early  in  the  war.  Under  date  of  September  22,  1917,  he  issued  a 
statement  to  the  press  in  which  he  pointed  out  that  the  experience 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  at  the  Mexican  border  fitted  them  for 
the  work  they  had  undertaken,  just  as  it  fitted  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for 
a  similar  kind  of  work.  Secretary  Baker  said  that  the  War 
Department  had  been  flooded  with  requests  from  all  manner  of 
clubs  and  fraternities  seeking  permission  to  erect  buildings  in 
various  camps  for  the  benefit  of  the  members  of  these  clubs  and 
fraternities.  Under  these  circumstances,  Mr.  Baker  said,  where 
it  was  physically  impossible  to  accommodate  all  who  desired  space 


362      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

in  the  camps,  "  it  seemed  a  fair  and  reasonable  solution  of  the 
problem  to  admit  the  two  organizations  which  had  already  been 
identified  with  recreational  work  within  military  camps;  to  wit: 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  the  Knights  of 
Columbus."  He  proceeded  to  say  that  the  two  organizations  had 
served  the  soldiers  at  the  Mexican  border  without  reference  to 
the  soldiers'  affiliation  in  their  church  membership,  and  he  laid 
it  down  quite  as  a  politic,  formal  stipulation  (for  it  had  from 
the  very  first  been  part  of  the  basic  policy  of  both  organizations), 
that  they  must  render  their  new  and  greater  service  with  the  same 
disregard  of  artificial  affiliations  shown  during  the  work  on  the 
border.  Secretary  Baker  missed  a  strong  point  in  favor  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  when  he  failed  to  say  that  their  work  at  the 
border  had  been  accomplished  entirely  at  their  own  expense,  and 
that  they  had  put  their  work  in  the  war  on  effective  footing, 
again  entirely  at  their  own  expense,  before  they  appealed  to  the 
public  for  funds. 

Secretary  Baker  estimated,  in  this  public  statement,  that  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  represented  the  Protestant  denominations  in  the 
camps  —  these  denominations,  he  said,  would  constitute  "  roughly 
fifty  per  cent,  of  the  new  army,"  while  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
represented  the  Catholics,  which  would  constitute  "  perhaps 
thirty-five  per  cent,  of  the  new  army."  With  the  Young  Men's 
Hebrew  Association  co-operating  with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  after- 
wards with  the  Jewish  Welfare  Board  at  work  in  the  camps,  the 
secretary  concluded  that  the  soldiers'  and  sailors'  welfare  would 
be  sufficiently  cared  for.  He  justly  recommended  all  other 
organizations  wishing  to  serve  the  men  to  do  so  through  the 
multitudinous  opportunities  afforded  in  community  work. 

Despite  the  official  definition  of  the  status  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  and  of  the  admission  of  their  right  to  operate  in  the 
camps  at  home  and  with  the  army  overseas,  questions  were  still 
asked,  and  the  Knights  were  faced,  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  their  actual  war  relief  work,  and  are,  even  now  by  the 
suspicion,  sometimes  rather  crudely  expressed  by  the  belated 
readers  of  Foxe's  Book  of  Martyrs,  that  they  had  an  ulterior 


Hewing  to  the  Line  363 

motive  in  entering  war  relief  work,  and  that  they  exerted  political 
influence  with  the  Government  to  force  their  admission  into  the 
work. 

This  suspicion,  which  arises  naturally  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  cannot  conceive  that  a  Catholic  can  be  a  good  citizen,  in 
spite  of  all  proof  to  the  contrary,  did  not  in  the  least  discourage 
them. 

"  My  strength  was  as  the  strength  of  ten. 
Because  my  heart  was  pure." 

At  the  beginning  of  their  work  the  Knights  found  the  Red 
Cross  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  particularly  helpful,  the  former  over- 
seas and  the  latter  in  home  camps,  in  enabling  them  to  orientate 
themselves.  As  time  passed  and  the  Knights  flourished  and  their 
efficient  service  and  "  everything  free  "  policy  earned  a  remark- 
able popularity  with  the  service  men,  a  movement  arose  to  bring 
about  what,  for  lack  of  a  better  term,  might  be  described  as  a 
levelling  process.  All  the  organizations  were  to  be  bound  to  a 
single  policy,  obviously  that  of  charging  for  their  goods,  though 
not  for  their  services,  which  would  mean  that  the  poor  mother 
in  North  Carolina  and  her  kind,  would  —  to  put  it  mildly  —  have 
been  disappointed. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus,  throughout  all  the  conferences  held 
between  representatives  of  the  war  work  organizations  and  the 
War  Department  maintained  stoutly  that  they  had  asked  for  and 
accepted  the  public's  money  with  the  understanding  that  they 
would  charge  the  soldiers,  the  sailors  and  marines  nothing  for 
the  things  provided  by  this  money.  The  Knights  proposed 
appealing  to  the  country  in  a  drive  for  $50,000,000  upon  the  same 
basic  understanding,  expressed  in  their  slogan.  "  Everybody  Wel- 
come and  Everything  Free  for  the  Men  Here  and  Overseas." 
They  had  every  reason  to  feel  confident  of  the  success  of  their 
campaign,  for  public  opinion  was  with  them. 

Considering  all  the  financial  demands  made  upon  the  people  of 
the  country,  it  was  the  Government's  desire  that  the  campaigns 
should  be  as  few  as  possible,  so  as  to  guarantee  a  minimum  con- 
flict with  the  Liberty  Loan  campaigns  and  the  successive  War 


364      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Stamp  drives.  A  single  war  work  drive  for  the  seven  recognized 
agencies  was  mooted,  the  drive  to  be  conducted  at  a  time  which 
would  not  conflict  with  the  efforts  being  made  for  Liberty  Loans 
and  the  Red  Cross. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  declined  to  enter  a  drive  with  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  giving  the  reason  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  policy 
of  giving  everything  free  of  charge  was  diametrically  opposed  to 
the  policy  adopted  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Suddenly  the  statement 
was  made  by  Secretary  of  War  Baker,  in  August,  1918,  that  two 
war  fund  drives  would  be  authorized,  one  in  November  for  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  the  War  Camp  Community  Service 
and  the  American  Library  Association,  and  a  second  in  February 
for  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Jewish  Welfare  Board  and  the 
Salvation  Army. 

In  view  of  subsequent  events  it  is  matter  for  interesting  specu- 
lation whether  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Jewish  Welfare 
Board  and  the  Salvation  Army  would  not  have  fared  extraordi- 
narily well  by  making  a  separate  drive  in  February  of  1919. 
Certainly,  the  emphatic  success  of  the  Salvation  Army  drive  in 
May,  1919,  leads  to  the  deduction  that  the  combined  popularity 
of  the  three  organizations  and  the  financial  power  of  their  united 
constituencies,  would  have  given  them  a  sum  far  in  excess  of 
their  combined  share  of  the  United  War  Drive  Fund. 

The  Knights  objected  immediately  and  emphatically  to  the 
decision  of  the  Secretary  of  War  that  there  should  be  two  war 
drives.  The  secretary's  decision,  published  in  the  press,  was  the 
subject  of  an  emergency  meeting  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
War  Activities  Committee.  Supreme  Knight  James  A.  Flaherty 
sent  from  that  meeting  a  protest  to  the  President,  which  also 
appeared  in  the  public  prints.  That  statement,  historic  in  its 
consequences,  is  given  here  in  full,  as  it  is  a  concise  record  of 
the  troubled  case. 

Your  Excellency: 

According  to  the  press  Washington  authorities  have  ordered  two  distinct 
drives  to  be  made  by  the  several  war  activity  agencies  —  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  War  Camp  Community  Service,  and  American  Library 


KOfCk 


THE  KNIOBCT^    OF  COLIIMBTOIS  3IM  MEA.CE  ABOI))  "V^^M^ 


Surreme  Knight  JAMES   A.    FI.AHERTY,   The  Ritht  Reverend  BISHOP  WILLIAM  TURNER  of  Buffalo.  The  Right 

Reverend   BISHOP  THOMAS  J.    SHAHAN  and  ADMIRAL   WILLIAMS.    BENSON  at  the 
Knighta  of  Culumbua  Peace  CoDvention.  Buffalo.  AuKuat.  1919 


Secretary 
of  War  NEWTON 
D.  BAKER,  pin- 
ning the   Distin- 
vuiflhcd  Service 
Medal  on  Supn 
Knight  Flaherty  ir 
the  name  of  the 
President 


Hewing  to  the  Line  365 

Association  to  conduct  their  drive  in  November,  the  Knights  of  Columbus, 
Jewish  Welfare  Board  and  Salvation  Army  shortly  after  January  ist. 

I  have  wired  the  Secretary  of  War  deploring  this  decision,  which,  I  hope, 
is  not  final.  It  seems  to  me  that  this  is  drawing  a  line  between  the 
Protestants  on  one  side,  and  the  Catholics,  the  Jews  and  the  Salvation 
Army,  on  the  other;  a  line  which  we  have  been  seeking  to  have  wiped  out 
of  war  activities  and  surely  in  so  far  as  welfare  of  the  boys  in  the  service  is 
concerned. 

The  press  notice  states  that  it  was  impossible  to  have  all  of  these  agencies 
join  together  in  one  drive,  owing  to  the  difference  in  financial  year  periods. 
This  is  news  to  me.  The  Knights  of  Columbus,  at  a  meeting  in  Washington 
attended  by  representatives  of  all  the  other  organizations,  excepting  the 
Salvation  Army,  expressed  its  willingness  and  desire  to  enter  a  joint  drive 
with  all  war  work  organizations  at  such  time  as  seemed  best,  and  this  news 
notice  is  the  first  intimation  which  I  have  had  that  the  fiscal  year  entered 
into  the  proposition. 

The  relations  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  with  all  the  organizations  have 
been  most  cordial,  and  we  have  worked  shoulder  to  shoulder  for  all  the 
boys  both  here  and  overseas.  We  are  honored  with  the  association  with 
the  Jewish  Welfare  Board,  to  whom  we  have  extended  the  use  of  our  build- 
ings for  their  religious  exercises,  and  with  the  Salvation  Army,  whose  won- 
derful work  at  the  front  has  won  the  heart  of  every  boy  and  every  mother 
and  father.  I  could  wish  that  the  fraternal  lines  might  be  rounded  to 
include  all  of  the  war  activity  agencies  in  one  great  nation-wide,  all- 
American  drive. 

It  seems  a  pity  to  have  this  line  drawn  so  sharply  at  this  time  of  stress 
and  universal  desire  to  help  the  Government  win  the  war. 

Apart  from  this  viewpoint  there  is  another  of  unfairness.  There  will  be 
a  Liberty  Loan  drive  in  October  —  the  drive  of  the  first  societies  first  above 
mentioned  will  follow  in  November,  then  comes  the  Red  Cross  membership 
drive  in  December,  then  the  Christmas  holidays  and  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  the  Jews,  and  the  Salvation  Army  are  left  to  get  what  is  left 
after  the  first  of  the  year. 

The  Knights  are  already  in  nearly  400  war  chests  throughout  the  countr)'. 
The  feeling  of  the  contributors  has  been  most  generous.  The  work  of 
collecting  these  funds  for  the  various  organizations  has  created  a  splendid, 
thoroughly  American  spirit.  They  have  all  worked  for  one  another  and  all 
worked  together.  Business  men  have  managed  the  funds  and  assigned  the 
quotas  and  everything  has  been  satisfactory  and  harmonious. 

So  far  as  I  can  gather  from  various  boards  of  trade  throughout  the 
country,  there  is  an  almost  unanimous  opinion  in  favor  of  one  joint  war 
chest  for  all  the  activities,  excepting  the  Red  Cross,  which,  of  course,  stands 
in  a  class  by  itself,  and  quite  diflferent  from  any  of  these  others,  and  which 
everybody  i§  only  too  glad  to  support  standing  alone. 


366      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  result  of  this  energetic  and  convincingly  reasonable  pro- 
test was  a  request  from  the  President  to  Chairman  Fosdick  that 
there  should  be  but  one  war  drive  for  the  seven  agencies.  The 
Knights  of  Columbus  agreed,  on  the  insistence  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  to  change  their  budget  from  fifty  to  thirty  million  dollars, 
which  should  be  their  quota  of  the  funds;  they  also  agreed  to 
truncate  their  slogan  and  make  it  simply  "  Everybody  Welcome." 
But  the  Knights  did  not  for  one  moment  recede  from  their  policy 
of  making  no  charge  for  services  or  goods.  The  United  War 
Work  drive  became  an  accomplished  fact. 

A  Committee  of  Eleven  had  been  formed,  receiving  the  author- 
ity of  the  War  Department  Commission  on  Training  Camp 
Activities  to  administer  the  United  War  Fund.  This  committee 
consisted  of  Mr.  John  R.  Mott,  Chairman,  Messrs.  Rajnuond 
B.  Fosdick,  Cleveland  H.  Dodge,  John  D.  Rockefeller,  Jr.,  George 
W.  Perkins,  Mortimer  L.  Schiff,  John  G.  Agar,  Myron  T.  Her- 
rick,  James  J.  Phelan,  George  Gordon  Battle  and  William  Hamlin 
Child.  No  executive  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  a  member 
of  this  committee,  hence  there  arose  the  difficulty  of  presenting 
personally  suggestions  for  the  application  of  the  United  War 
Fund.  Some  rather  vigorous  disputes  had  taken  place  both 
in  this  country  and  on  the  other  side  concerning  the  advisability 
of  distributing  creature  comforts  free  to  the  men  in  the  service. 
The  Knights  of  Columbus  were  the  only  agency  making  it  a 
principle  of  their  work  to  charge  for  nothing.  The  suggestion 
was  made  that  the  men  in  the  army  might  be  pauperized ;  but  the 
question  was  also  raised  w^hether  the  giving  of  small  luxuries  to 
them  would  tend  toward  their  pauperization  more  than  the  charg- 
ing of  substantial  prices  for  those  luxuries  when  the  soldiers  had 
scant  pay,  after  many  deductions  for  various  purposes  w^ere 
made.  It  satisfied  the  men,  and  they  were  given  articles  not 
usually  donated  to  paupers.  The  morale  of  the  soldiers  might 
be  lowered  more  easily  by  real  poverty  than  by  theories. 

In  the  late  winter  of  1919  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were 
informed  that  a  cable  had  been  received  at  Washington  fror.i 
General  Pershing,  requesting  that  the  War  Department  limit 
the  gift  of  free  creature  comforts  to  within  ten  per  cent,  in 
money  value  of  the  United  \Var  Fund.    The  reason  stated  was 


Hewing  to  the  Line  367 

that  an  overabundance  of  gifts  was  embarrassing  to  freight- 
transportation  overseas  and  also  menacing  to  the  health  of  the 
army.  A  careful  survey  of  the  situation  in  France  failed  to  sub- 
stantiate these  reasons.  In  fact  army  commanders  willingly  sent 
the  army  trucks  to  Paris  or  wherever  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
had  store  houses  and  at  times  complaint  was  made  of  a  lack  of 
sufficient  tobacco,  chocolate,  etc.,  to  give  them.  The  statistics  of 
the  Medical  Service  discover  no  disease  or  sickness  due  to  gifts 
of  creature  comforts. 

The  Committee  of  Eleven  passed  a  resolution  to  the  effect 
that  each  agency  of  the  seven  participating  in  the  United  War 
Fund  be  restricted  to  ten  per  cent,  of  its  quota  of  the  fund  for 
expenditure  on  goods  intended  for  free  distribution.  This,  it 
was  at  once  apparent,  would  mean  the  overthrow  of  the  entire 
Knights  of  Columbus  policy.  At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Chicago.on  February 
24,  1919,  the  following  resolution,  which  tersely  explains  the 
situation,  was  passed: 

Whereas,  the  Committee  of  Eleven  of  the  United  War  Drive  and  the 
Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities  have  proposed  to  restrict  the  free 
distribution  of  creasture  comforts  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  and  further 
proposed  to  ask  the  Secretary  of  War  to  require  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
to  obser\^e  such  a  regulation.  Now,  therefore,  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  respectfully  enter  their  objection  to  this  attitude 
on  the  part  of  said  Committee  of  Eleven  and  said  Commission  on  Training 
Camp  Activities ;  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
respectfully  submit  that  all  money  expended  comes  from  the  people  at 
large,  that  in  the  use  of  money  so  received  and  collected  from  its  own  mem- 
bership before  the  United  War  Drive  they  had  sought  to  interpret  the 
wishes  of  the  donors  with  the  result  that  a  large  proportion  was  expended 
for  tobacco,  cigarettes,  candy,  chocolate,  hot  drinks,  etc.,  and  their  intention 
for  the  future  is  to  expend  money  freely  in  the  same  way. 

Our  buildings  are  free;  our  entertainments  are  free;  our  athletics  are 
free ;  our  stationery  is  free ;  our  Hterature  is  free ;  our  work  in  the  hospi- 
tals, on  trains  and  transports  is  free ;  our  entire  service  is  free,  so  have  been 
our  candy,  chocolates,  cigarettes  and  hot  drinks.  Why  must  we  change? 
Why  everything  free  except  those  few  little  creature  comforts,  just  the 
things  that  a  visiting  father  or  mother  would  bring  to  their  boy  in  the 
service?  Why  any  restriction  on  the  amount  to  be  expended  for  this 
purpose  when  there  is  no  waste  or  extravagance  in  the  distribution? 


368      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

In  addition,  of  course,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  conducted  many 
other  activities  for  the  physical,  moral,  educational  and  recreation  welfare 
for  all  those  in  service,  freely. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  welcome  advice  and  constructive  criticism. 
They  make  no  complaint  as  to  the  activities  of  other  societies ;  they  claim 
no  exclusive  right  to  give  things  away  or  to  any  other  war  activities.  As 
trustees  of  these  funds  donated  for  the  welfare  of  men  in  the  service,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  deny  the  rijht  of  said  Committee  and  Commission 
to  restrict  them  in  giving  away  the  whole,  or  any  part  of  these  fimds  for 
creature  comforts;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  that  a 
committee  consisting  of  the  Supreme  Officers  be  appointed  to  wait  ujxDn  tlie 
Secretary  of  War  and  make  known  the  position  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
in  this  matter. 

Following  visits  to  Secretary  of  War  Baker  the  decision  to 
restrict  the  Knights  to  ten  per  cent  of  their  fund  for  creature- 
comfort-gift  purposes  was  modified;  so  that  they  were  practically 
permitted  to  let  their  budget  stand  with  its  generous  allowance 
of  some  seven  million  dollars  to  provide  for  gifts  to  the  service 
men.  But  all  this  controversy  naturally  absorbed  time  and 
energy  that  could  otherwise  have  been  bestowed  for  the  greater 
benefit  of  the  soldiers  upon  the  immense  task  of  successfully 
directing  the  great  work  under  way.  The  Knights  were  obliged 
to  exercise  constant  vigilance  to  prevent  encroachments  on  their 
freedom  of  action.  The  Chairman  of  the  War  Department's 
Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities  criticized  the  Knights 
for  not  sending  w^omen  workers  overseas.  The  Knights  had  sent 
women  abroad  for  clerical  work  only.  Their  attitude  in  this 
matter  has  been  supported  by  men  of  wide  experience  who  were 
thoroughly  familiar  v/ith  conditions  overseas.  The  Knights  felt 
that  the  Red  Cross  could  well  look  after  hospital  work  through 
its  women  workers.  The  work  near  to  the  front,  wnth  its  hard- 
ships and  uncertainties,  was  for  men  primarily,  and  many  men 
above  the  draft  age  could  be  found. 

Chairman  Fosdick  stated  that  the  Knights,  in  their  war  work 
overseas,  had  not  shown  results  commensurate  with  their  quota 
of  the  United  War  Fund.  In  this  connection  it  must  be  stressed 
that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  were  the  only  organization  of  the 


Hewing  to  the  Line  369 

seven  sharing  the  United  War  Fund,  to  charge  nothing  for  their 
goods  or  services,  hence  it  is  conceivable  that  they  had  less  money, 
proportionately,  than  the  others,  to  spend  on  equipment.  They 
concentrated  their  clubs  and  huts,  and  it  was  their  experience, 
that  even  with  this  concentration,  the  boys  had  ample  room,  and 
appreciated  interior  comforts  more  than  external  space.  As  al- 
ready stated,  the  Knights  considered  one  hut  well  filled,  with  each 
man  well  contented,  a  better  result  than  two  huts  sparsely  patron- 
ized. The  vast,  genuine  and  permanent  popularity  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  among  the  men  they  served  is  the  final 
stamp  of  success  on  their  service.  Nothing  but  the  quality  of 
their  work  can  account  for  this.  The  very  fact  that  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  were  able  to  hew  to  the  straight  line  of  their  policy, 
in  spite  of  strong  official  opposition,  is  proof  that  the  policy  was 
sound,  and  that  their  position  was  well  founded  on  a  psycho- 
logical knowledge  of  the  men  in  the  service. 

Having  successfully  prevailed  over  the  powerful  opposition  to 
their  determination  to  carry  out  their  trust  in  the  way  they 
regarded  as  the  only  honest  way  to  discharge  their  duty  to  the 
public,  the  Knights  were  not  sanguine  that  the  future  would  be 
clear  sailing  for  them.  It  was  not.  In  a  hundred  subordinate 
matters  they  found  themselves  forced  on  the  defensive.  One 
would  imas:ine  that  so  necessarv  a  function  as  the  entertainment 
of  returning  troops  and  sailors  would  be  left  undisturbed ;  but  in 
the  sacred  name  of  co-ordination  that  did  not  co-ordinate  the 
Knights  were  restricted,  time  after  time,  to  less  generous  efforts 
than  they  had  planned  and  were  quite  capable  of  putting  forth 
for  the  service  men.  One  can  readily  understand  that  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  smarting  beneath  the  stigma  attached  to  it  by  the 
general  run  of  members  of  the  A.  E.  F.,  could  not  complacently 
witness  the  ascendancy  of  a  rival  organization  in  the  affections 
of  the  men  —  an  organization,  by  the  way,  whose  position  of  rival 
was  created  by  force  of  circumstances  and  never  deliberately 
assumed.  The  Knights  found  it  difficult  to  effect  '*  co-ordina- 
tion "  with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  its  kindred  societies,  because 
co-ordination  usually  meant  an  eclipse  of  Knights  of  Columbus 


370      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

activity,  meant  the  unwarranted  conjoining  of  a  service  that  had 
won  its  way  despite  opposition,  with  service  that  had,  whatever 
the  involved  merits  and  demerits  of  the  case,  been  strongly 
criticised  by  our  fighting  men.  To  say  that  this  co-ordination 
was  necessary  to  avoid  overlapping  and  produce  maximum  satis- 
faction, is  utterly  wrong,  for  on  every  occasion  when  co-ordina- 
tion was  put  into  practice  the  Knights  found  themselves  com- 
pelled to  augment  co-ordinated  effort  with  independent  activity 
in  order  to  give  the  service  men  what,  by  common  honesty,  they 
were  entitled  to  have,  the  best  within  the  resources  of  any  agency 
to  whom  public  money  had  been  entrusted  for  war  relief  work. 

Opposition  to  the  progress  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  the 
service  man's  affection  was  always  real  and  sometimes  displayed 
in  amazingly  petty  ways.  For  instance,  when  the  Knights  were 
requested  by  the  Navy  Department  to  give  a  luncheon  to  two 
thousand  men  of  the  mine-sweeping  squadron  on  their  return  to 
New  York  ( it  having  been  ascertained  that  such  an  affair  would 
be  highly  popular  with  the  men),  the  Knights  completed  their 
arrangements  and  willingly  acceded  to  the  request  that  publicity 
concerning  the  event  be  left  in  official  hands.  To  their  astonish- 
ment the  Knights  found  that  an  "  official  source  "  had  announced 
to  the  press  that  the  luncheon  would  be  given  by  the  *'Y.  M.  C.  A., 
the  Red  Cross,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  other  welfare 
bodies."  This  was,  to  say  the  least,  a  rather  gratuitous  distri- 
bution of  credit  for  a  particular  work  that  had  already  been 
assigned  by  those  in  charge  to  but  one  organization. 

From  this  it  must  not  be  construed  that  the  Knights  attached 
much  weight  to  credit  for  such  deeds.  Provided  the  men  were 
well  cared  for,  credit  for  that  care  v/as  only  secondarily  con- 
sidered. But  so  all-embracing  and  extravagant  were  many  of  the 
claims  of  other  organizations  (to  which  extravagance  the  Knights 
were  quite  indifferent,  although  the  service  men  were  not),  that 
the  Knights  naturally  objected  to  clumsy  misrepresentation.  But 
incidents  of  this  nature  became  so  common  that  the  Knights  came 
to  regard  their  occurrence  with  a  tolerant  humor. 

Suddenly,  the  move  which  the  Knights  had  expected  for  many 
months  was  made  by  the  War  Department.     Secretary  of  War 


Hewing  to  the  Line  371 

Baker  announced  that  all  welfare  activity  should  cease  in  the 
camps  by  November  1,  1919.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  protested 
against  the  order,  and  their  protest  brought  a  reply  from  Secre- 
tary Baker  to  the  effect  that  their  work  outside  of  this  country 
would  be  welcomed ;  but  that  he  felt  relief  work  in  domestic  camps 
should  be  an  avenue  of  strictly  military  endeavor.  Thus  the 
principle  established  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  when  the  nation 
faced  an  immense  crisis,  was  calmly  abandoned  with  the  passing 
of  the  crisis. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus,  knowing  well  that  energetic  protest 
might  involve  prolonged  debate,  with  inevitable  acrimony,  did 
not  pursue  the  matter  further.  They  were  content  to  rest  their 
case  on  their  published  statement,  which  read: 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  stand  today  as  always,  ready  to  comply  with 
any  order  of  tbe  Commission  representing  the  War  Department,  including, 
of  course,  the  withdrawal  of  all  war  activities  in  the  camps.  If,  however, 
it  is  the  intention  of  the  Department  to  ask  the  withdrawal  of  Knights  of 
Columbus  and  all  other  war  agencies  within  the  camps,  we  feel  that  we 
ought  to  state  our  position  on  the  broad  question  involved,  namely  as  to  the 
conduct  in  the  future  of  all  welfare,  recreational  and  educational  work  by 
the  War  Department  as  a  part  of  its  regular  work.  We  are  opposed  to 
any  attempt  to  institutionalize  the  activities  heretofore  conducted  by  the 
so-called  War  Welfare  societies.  From  our  experience  we  can  safely  say 
that  the  men  in  service  welcome  a  relief  from  war  supervision  and  military 
methods.  They  welcome  the  relief  and  willingly  respond  to  the  services  of 
civilians  to  whom  they  owe  no  special  duty  of  military  deference  and 
obedience.  It  is  a  relief  from  the  restraint  of  official  supervision  for  them 
to  receive  a  touch  of  home  life  and  neighborly  assistance  within  the  camps. 
The  service  in  spiritual  matters  by  outside  ministers,  rabbis,  and  priests 
has  also  been  a  grateful  relief  from  military  life.  Ready  to  leave  the  serv- 
ice, if  so  ordered,  we  nevertheless  wish  to  record  our  protest  against  the 
proposed  new  policy  and  feel  that  the  action  of  Congress  in  refusing  funds 
asked  for  these  purposes  by  the  War  Department,  the  very  willing  con- 
tribution of  the  public  for  the  maintenance  of  this  work  by  welfare  societies, 
the  hearty  response  and  appreciation  of  the  men  in  the  service,  the  very 
inherent  contrast  between  military  rule  and  discipline  and  recreational  and 
educational  work  at  the  hands  of  friendly  civilians,  all  speak  against  the 
taking  over  of  this  work  by  the  army  as  one  of  its  regular  functions. 

Ready  to  continue  their  work  in  the  Army  camps,  with  the  sole 
object  of  rendering  the  men  of  the  Army  the  service  they  relished, 


372      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

the  Knights  of  Columbus  nevertheless  obeyed  the  ukase  of  the 
Secretary  of  War.  The  Navy  Department,  in  strange  contrast 
with  the  War  Department,  had  requested  the  Knights  to  con- 
tinue their  work.  But  Mr.  Baker  had  instituted  his  morale  divi- 
sion in  the  face  of  obvious  disapproval  on  the  part  of  Congress 
(otherwise  that  body  would  surely  have  granted  him  funds  for 
the  work  of  the  division).  The  War  Department's  plan  was  to 
enlist  civilian  workers  of  the  relief  organizations  to  work  under 
officers  of  the  Army ;  with  what  success  that  plan  will  eventually 
meet  remains  to  be  seen. 

The  last  word  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  on  their  relations 
with  the  War  Department  was  given  by  the  Committee  on  War 
Activities  at  a  meeting  held  on  November  2,  the  day  following 
official  withdrawal  from  the  army  camps. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus,  ran  this  statement,  protested  against  the  War 
Department's  order  to  withdraw  all  war  work  agencies  in  home  camps  by 
November  i.  But  at  the  time  we  made  our  protest  we  stated  that  we  would 
of  course  abide  by  the  War  Department's  orders.  We  have  not  changed 
our  attitude,  neither  have  we  changed  our  opinion  that  relief  work  of  the 
nature  conducted  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  in  the  camps  is  more 
efficaciously  conducted  by  civilian  than  by  military  agency,  and  it  is  an 
established  fact  that  relief  work  under  civilian  auspices  is  preferred  by  the 
soldier. 

Of  course,  in  conformity  with  the  War  Department's  order,  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  are  withdrawing  from  the  camps,  leaving  only  such  workers 
as  are  necessary  to  complete  the  winding  up  of  our  affairs  in  each  camp. 
We  have  received  many  communications  from  camp  officers  regretting  our 
departure.  We  shall  cheerfully  co-operate  with  the  War  Department  in  its 
effort  to  initiate  relief  and  recreational  work,  and  our  personnel  in  the 
camps  has  been  placed  at  the  War  Department's  disposal. 

Thus,  with  dignity,  the  Knights  accepted  the  mandate  they 
knew  would  be  levelled  against  them  at  the  first  opportunity. 
From  the  beginning  the  War  Department  had  not  treated  them 
fairly;  the  comfort  of  the  fighting  men  had  been  jeopardized  and 
an  attempt  had  been  made  to  restrain  the  exemplification  of 
common  honesty  on  the  part  of  the  Knights  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment's frequent  and  futile  attempts  to  place  limits  on  a  popular 


Hewing  to  the  Line  373 

policy.  Dispassionately  it  must  be  said  that  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
favored  by  the  Government,  had  been  weighed  in  the  balance  and 
found  wanting,  while  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  hewing  strictly 
to  the  line  of  their  promise  to  the  public  and  scrupulously  fulfill- 
ing the  implied  stipulations  of  their  stewardship,  were  negatively 
punished  for  the  heinous  crime  of  demonstrating  that  the  man  in 
uniform  was  delighted  with  the  efforts  of  those  who  gave  him 
what  he  wanted  and  what  he  was  thoroughly  entitled  to  receive. 

Without  seeking  to  modify  in  any  way  the  general  and  emphatic 
verdict  of  the  service  men  concerning  the  merits  of  the  various 
war-relief  organizations,  the  Knights  could  finally  submit  their 
case  in  a  simple  proposition:  They  had  lived  up  to  the  trust 
reposed  in  them  and  they  had  done  this  without  waste.  Not  one 
cent  of  their  funds  had  been  expended  in  any  way  outside  the 
scope  of  their  appeal  to  the  American  people,  and  their  admin- 
istration expenses  had  cost  their  war  fund  nothing  —  for  they 
had  more  than  met  overhead  expenses  by  discounts  secured 
through  strictly  businesslike  management  of  their  purchases.^ 

In  the  face  of  their  unique  record  the  Knights  can  well  afford 
to  ignore  the  absence  of  lavish  praise  from  high  places,  gratui- 
tously bestowed  elsewhere.  The  Knights  have  never  needed 
official  apologetics,  they  have  never  sought  official  panegyrics. 
Their  good  name  is  secure  forever  with  the  millions  of  men  they 
served. 


>  See  report  of  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors  in  Appendix. 

25 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
A  WORD  FOR  THE  WOMEN 

ALTHOUGH  the  Knights  of  Columbus  had  the  foresight 
to  see  that  man  power  was  to  be  conserved  and  econo- 
mized, and  that  to  do  this  it  was  necessary  to  send 
abroad  a  certain  number  of  young  women  to  take  the  place  of 
male  stenographers  and  other  clerical  workers,  they  had  not 
considered  it  within  their  province  to  ask  the  assistance  of  the 
feminine  element  for  service  abroad.  Their  home  activities  were 
largely  aided  and  often  directed  by  groups  of  ladies  who  volun- 
teered for  this  purpose,  and  whose  efforts  astonished  their 
masculine  colleagues  by  the  perfection  and  ease  by  which  they 
attained  results  that  no  man  would  even  have  imagined. 

The  League  of  Catholic  Women  of  New  York,  for  instance, 
typical  of  similar  organizations  in  other  large  cities,  had  supple- 
mented the  more  rugged  efforts  of  the  Knights  in  every  possible 
way.  They  planned  entertainments,  acted  as  hostesses,  were 
untiring  in  their  efforts  to  encourage  the  soldiers  and  to  make 
them  feel  that  they  were  everywhere  surrounded  by  an  aura  of 
sympathy  and  understanding.  It  seemed  marvelous  to  the 
onlookers  that  no  exigency  could  arise,  especially  in  a  matter  of 
the  comfort  and  morale  of  the  men,  with  which  these  ladies  could 
not  cope.  The  matron  and  the  maid  each  took  her  place  in  this 
labor  of  patriotism;  and  it  would  fill  too  many  pages  to  detail 
the  methods  Avhich  were  used.  Intelligent  energy  and  tactful 
comprehension  were  the  qualities  shown  on  every  occasion  where 
they  might  be  useful. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  were  interested  observers  of  the 
experiment  made  by  the  National  Catholic  War  Council  in  send- 
ing what  are  known  as  "  women  field  workers  "  abroad.  This 
relieved  the  Knights  from  a  burden  of  which  they  were  doubtful. 
They  were  glad  to  be  permitted  to  devote  their  attention  to  the 
perfecting  of  the  efficiency  of  the  young  women  who  had  been 
ohosen  to  go  abroad  to  do  clerical  work  under  their  auspices. 

I374I 


A  Word  for  the  Women  375 

The  efficiency  of  these  young  women  is  one  of  the  triumphs  — 
to  speak  with  a  certain  degree  of  modesty  —  of  which  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  are  exceedingly  proud.  Let  us  take,  for 
example,  the  instance  of  the  young  women  engaged  in  the  Paris 
headquarters.  They  showed  their  power  of  eliminating  economic 
waste  and  of  attending  strictly  to  business  by  sending  out  on  an 
average  25,000  letters  each  per  year,  a  record  that  may  be 
equalled,  but  scarcely  surpassed.  This  correspondence  largely 
concerned  itself  with  the  technical  details  necessary  for  the 
management  of  the  various  activities  of  the  Knights,  and  these 
details  were  multifarious  and  many  of  them  very  special,  requir- 
ing extreme  concentration,  experience  and  unusual  intelligence 
and  tact.  With  more  than  a  thousand  men  relying  upon  head- 
quarters for  frequent  instructions  and  with  movements  of  goods 
from  the  United  States  requiring  the  closest  supervision  from 
Paris,  and,  in  addition,  with  daily  reports  going  from  Paris  to 
the  United  States  concerning  all  manner  of  details  and  explana- 
tions of  unexpected  occurrences  which  no  human  power  could 
foresee,  the  volume  of  correspondence  necessitated  constant 
application,  and  the  extension  of  the  working  hours  beyond  the 
ample  demands  made  by  the  office  rules  of  the  Knights. 
'  These  young  gentlewomen,  like  their  sisters  in  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  offices  at  home,  scrupulously  followed  directions,  care- 
fully avoided  mistakes  and  attained  an  efficiency  which  ought  to 
make  them  very  necessary  in  the  technical  and  complex  work  of 
reconstruction.  The  only  reward  they  had  for  the  performance 
of  a  class  of  work  which  received  very  little  public  commendation 
was  that  they  displayed  a  patriotism  so  complete  as  to  make  them 
•feel  that  no  man  in  the  Army  could  have  done  his  part  more 
strenuously  in  winning  the  victory,  and  the  fact  that  their  prepa- 
ration —  and  they  were  all  young  —  for  life  in  the  future  had 
been  made  more  effective.  The  hazards  of  war  did  not  frighten 
them  from  their  work.  On  a  certain  day  when  Big  Bertha  suc- 
ceeded in  decapitating  the  statue  of  St.  James  in  front  of  the 
Church  of  the  Madeleine,  not  twenty  yards  from  the  office  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus,  they  went  on  with  their  work;  this  is 


376     The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

only  one  instance,  which  they  do  not  boast  of,  and  which  they 
would  seriously  object  having  chronicled  here,  of  their  fidelity 
to  their  duty. 

The  only  other  women  workers  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  devoted  themselves  to  art.  They  made 
up  a  group  of  musicians,  called  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Trou- 
badours, who  united,  to  use  the  words  of  a  competent  critic, 
pulchritude  with  genius.  This  orchestral  band  gave  1,200  con- 
certs, and  their  success  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  two  of 
them,  according  to  records  kept  by  their  competitors  in  the  troup, 
received  over  two  hundred  proposals  of  marriage  during  their 
tour  of  France  and  Germany.  The  other  ladies  of  the  troup  fell 
only  a  little  behind  in  the  number  of  matrimonial  compliments 
received  from  amateurs  of  beauty  and  music. 

Probably  the  Knights  could  not  have  shown  their  perception 
of  the  value  of  carefully  chosen  feminine  assistance  better  than 
in  inducing  Miss  Elisabeth  Marbury  to  undertake  a  special 
branch  of  work  which  nobody  except  herself  was  fitted  to  per- 
form. Her  training  and  experience  had  given  her  an  unique 
position  as  a  purveyor  of  the  highest  class  of  amusement  for  her 
own  countrymen.  Her  name  was  celebrated  all  over  Europe, 
and  mentioned  with  respect  in  the  ateliers  of  all  the  great 
theatrical  managers  in  Europe.  She  had  no  need  of  advertising 
of  any  kind;  she  is  one  of  the  fortunate  persons  whose  talents 
and  position  do  not  have  to  be  explained.  Aside  from  her  active 
work  in  stimulating  patriotism  and  in  giving  forcibly  the  reasons 
why  men  and  women  should  be  patriotic,  she  took  almost  an 
unprecedented  step  in  the  process  of  reconstructing  the  lives  of 
our  soldiers  after  the  war,  by  introducing  into  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  clubs  in  France  films  secured  through  the  good  will 
of  Secretary  Franklin  K.  Lane  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 
which  portrayed  the  attractions  of  life  on  the  land  in  the  United 
States.  To  these  films  she  gave  the  title,  *'  God's  Own  Country," 
and  accompanied  their  exhibition  with  a  brief  and  clear  exposition 
of  the  advantage  of  a  return  to  the  land  which  the  Government 
ofifers. 


m 


I  THE  KNIGHTg    OW  CQVm^imSIMim&C&AN-B'W-AVr] 


A  Word  for  the  Women  2i77 

It  was  no  unusual  thing  for  a  woman  delicately  nurtured  to  be 
roused  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  to  join  a  group  of  volunteers 
to  feed  soldiers  and  even  to  find  lodgings  for  them.  New 
Rochelle  was  a  scene  typical  of  the  devotion  of  women  to  the 
cause  of  the  nation  when,  in  the  winter  of  1917,  some  hundreds 
of  selected  service  men  found  themselves,  one  night,  without 
means  of  transportation  to  Fort  Totten.  The  New  Rochelle 
Knights  of  Columbus,  hearing  of  the  plight  of  these  men,  quickly 
organized  relief  work.  The  rooms  of  the  New  Rochelle  Council 
were  converted  into  temporary  dormitories,  the  members  threw 
their  homes  open  and  their  women  folks  prepared  hot  meals  for 
the  boys.  So  striking  an  illustration  was  this  of  the  national 
spirit  in  time  of  exigency  that  a  metropolitan  newspaper,  the 
New  York  Journal,  commented  editorially  upon  it.  It  was 
repeated  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  for  the  women  relatives 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  co-operated  everywhere  with  the 
men  of  the  subordinate  councils  in  making  life  more  comfortable 
for  the  service  men. 

The  Daughters  of  Isabella,  the  flourishing  Catholic  women's 
organization  which,  while  having  no  affiliation  with  the  Knights 
of  Columbus,  is  founded  upon  similar  principles,  did  excellent 
co-operative  work  with  the  Knights,  helping  in  the  service  sta- 
tions and  in  the  camp  buildings.  They  augmented  their  generous 
aid  in  services  with  cash  contributions  to  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus War  Fund,  Mrs.  Genevieve  Walsh,  their  Supreme  Regent, 
presenting  the  Knights  with  large  checks  on  two  occasions,  one 
for  $9,000  and  another  for  $18,000.  Besides  which  they  were 
generous  workers  for  the  independent  Knights  of  Columbus  war 
fund  in  their  localities,  uniting  with  other  organizations  of 
Catholic  women  in  practically  every  parish  in  the  country.  The 
Catholic  Women's  Order  of  Foresters,  in  1918,  presented  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  with  a  check  for  $9,900  for  their  war 
work.  It  was  a  woman  who  first  suggested  the  idea  and  set  the 
example  of  making  monthly  contributions  to  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  war  fund  —  a  practice  afterwards  followed  by  many. 
Examination  of  page  after  page  of  closely  printed  acknowledg- 


378      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

ments  of  donations  to  the  first  war  fund  shows  that  women 
donated  as  frequently  as  men. 

In  times  of  peace  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  always 
enjoyed  loyal  support  from  Catholic  women's  organizations. 
They  could  not  have  achieved  uniform  success  in  their  numerous 
community  activities  unless  the  women  of  the  parishes  had 
co-operated  with  them.  The  energy  and  enterprise  displayed  by 
the  Catholic  women  in  the  war  was  but  a  new  phase  of  public- 
spirited  labors  which  they  had  carried  on  for  years.  They  had 
prepared  long  and  diligently,  by  contributing  of  their  time  and 
treasure  to  all  worthy  peace-time  movements,  for  the  splendid 
record  they  made  during  the  war.  In  excluding  women  from 
work  in  the  field  as  secretaries  the  Knights  of  Columbus  obeyed 
the' desire  of  the  government  to  avoid  overlapping  of  relief 
efforts.  The  Red  Cross,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  and 
the  Salvation  Army  had  hundreds  of  women  in  their  service. 
There  was  no  need  to  add  to  the  number.  Further,  the  Knights, 
after  careful  investigation,  felt  that  conditions  abroad  were  not 
such  that  a  scrupulous  regard  for  the  comfort  of  young  women 
would  warrant  placing  them  to  work  in  surroundings  which 
plainly  demanded  men  workers.  Many  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus girls  visited  hospitals  and  gave  what  aid  they  could  in  con- 
junction with  the  Red  Cross  and  regular  army  nurses ;  but  it  was 
found  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus  secretary  was  well  qualified 
for  hospital  work  and  cordially  accepted  by  the  sick  soldiers. 

The  Catholic  women  of  whom  little  has  been  said  in  the  records 
of  the  war,  the  religious  women,  the  nuns  who  worked  long  and 
faithfully  in  the  hospitals  overseas  and  at  home,  aided  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  were  aided  by  them.  Their  number, 
added  to  the  number  of  Catholic  women  serving  as  regular 
nurses  and  in  the  ranks  of  the  Red  Cross  and  other  organizations 
enlisting  women  in  their  field  work,  when  it  is  finally  known  will 
make  an  imposing  total.  Without  the  constant,  courageous  help 
of  the  Catholic  women  of  America  neither  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  nor,  for  that  matter,  the  Government,  could  have  per- 
formed their  war  and  reconstruction  work  in  the  unqualifiedly 
successful  way  it  was  accomplished. 


THE  IprNIGVBrTS    OW  COJLllMBiaS  IM  HEM3E  AMB  "^2^^ 


DEPARTMENT  DIRECTORS  —  WAR   ACTIVITIES 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
RECONSTRUCTION  WORK 

MONTHS  before  the  war  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
had  reached  its  high  point  of  effectiveness  the  organiza- 
tion had  turned  its  attention  to  the  problems  that  must 
inevitably  occur  upon  the  cessation  of  the  v^ar  and  a  gradual 
return  to  the  ways  of  peace.  When  the  Board  of  Directors  met 
in  the  early  summer  of  1918  they  had  weighty  matters  to  settle 
in  connection  with  the  Order's  war  activities ;  yet  time  was  found 
to  give  detailed  consideration  to  a  proposition  for  the  planning  of 
reconstruction  machinery  throughout  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
organization  simultaneously  with  the  operation  of  the  perfected 
machinery  for  war  relief.  This  plan,  while  wide  in  scope,  was 
simple  in  its  principle. 

The  organization  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  is  such  that 
it  instantly  lends  itself  to  intensive  and  extensive  activity.  A 
practical  and  beneficial  undertaking  is  no  sooner  decided  upon 
than  it  is  given  instant  effect  through  the  hundreds  of  units  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  throughout  the  country.  The  plan 
submitted  to  the  Board  of  Directors  and  adopted  by  them, 
through  their  Committee  on  War  Activities,  was  a  logical  inter- 
pretation of  the  power  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  as  a  medium 
for  reconstruction.  Beginning  with  the  Board  of  Directors, 
composed  of  representative  men  from  all  sections  of  the  country, 
and  going  to  the  Committee  on  War  Activities,  familiar  with  the 
psychology  and  needs  of  the  men  to  be  cared  for  through  the 
reconstruction  and  employment  service,  the  General  Director  of 
this  service  was  clothed  with  competent  authority  to  perfect  his 
organization  and  to  make  full  use  of  the  elaborate  resources 
offered  by  the  Knights. 

All  the  seven  recognized  organizations  engaged  in  war  relief 
work  took  some  share  of  the  task  of  helping  the  returning  soldier 
back  to  civilian  life.  The  government  created  the  United  States 
Employment  Service,  subsidiary  to  the  Department  of  Labor,  to 

[379] 


380      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

take  up  this  work.  This  official  agency,  establishing  branches 
throughout  the  country,  was  assisted  by  the  recognized  relief 
agencies ;  but  when  failure  of  official  funds  occurred,  other  agen- 
cies were  obliged  to  extend  their  efforts  to  replace  those  neces- 
sarily withdrawn  by  the  United  States  Employment  Service. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  machinery  proved  its  elasticity  by 
being  immediately  able  to  carry  a  largely  increased  burden.  The 
plan  originally  laid  down  in  June,  1918,  proved  adequate  for  all 
demands  made  upon  it.  An  army  of  Knights  of  Columbus 
workers,  37,250  in  all,  was  in  the  field  every  day  trying  to  solve 
the  unemployment  problem,  and  with  able  direction,  their  combined 
efforts  brought  about  surprising  results. 

The  forces  of  destruction  and  reconstruction  are  constantly 
at  play  in  the  economic  life  of  a  nation;  unemployment  in  normal 
times  is  destructive  inasmuch  as  it  is  wasteful,  and  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  had,  through  individual  councils  and  chapters, 
already  founded  employment  bureaux.  They  were  not  novices; 
they  had  a  practical  basis  of  preparation,  and  the  confidence 
essential  to  the  task  of  finding  employment  for  the  returned  men. 
Their  success  was  astounding.  Of  course,  the  training  of  large 
numbers  of  efficient  secretaries  had  much  to  do  with  the  result, 
for  these  men  not  only  thoroughly  understood  the  soldier,  but 
they  also  understood  well  the  employment  situation  from  first- 
hand acquaintance  with  it.  But  the  reason  for  the  success  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  employment  service,  was  the  cordial 
co-operation  of  the  organization  in  a  plan  which  was  scientifi- 
cally designed  to  utilize  all  the  patriotic  enthusiasm  and  practical 
interest  felt  in  the  reconstructive  process. 

No  member  of  the  organization  was  overlooked.  If  he  was 
not  personally  enlisted  in  the  army  of  37,000  workers,  he 
belonged  to  the  auxiliary  army  aiding  and  advising  the  others. 
Never  before  had  the  Knights  of  Columbus  come  to  so  complete 
a  realization  of  the  power  of  their  numbers  than  in  the  opera- 
tion of  their  employment  service.  Every  member  of  the  order 
was  alert  for  opportunities  of  being  useful,  and,  while  the  inci- 
dental jobs  reported  for  registration  by  individual  members  not 


Reconstruction  Work  381 

formally  committed  to  co-operation  in  the  employment  plan, 
might  not,  in  the  aggregate,  appear  comparable  to  those  obtained 
by  the  scientific  application  of  the  council  miits  of  canvassers,  yet 
they  helped  swell  the  total  of  situations  found  for  the  soldiers. 
It  was  not  an  easy  task  to  lit  the  job  to  the  man.  He  had  been 
unsettled;  his  point  of  view  had  changed;  he  could  not  be  judged 
by  the  old  standards ;  the  Knights  took  all  this  into  account. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  organization  of  employment-finders 
was  no  mere  array  of  enthusiastic  canvassers,  such  as  the  public 
became  familiar  with  during  the  numerous  war  drives.  These 
37,250  men  were  all  representative  members  of  various  trades 
and  professions;  all  intelligent  factors  in  the  great  nation-wide 
reconstruction  movement.  Every  step  of  the  way  they  worked 
was  carefully  planned.  Each  council's  employment-finding  unit 
—  and  there  were  more  than  eighteen  hundred  of  these  —  was 
so  distributed  and  balanced  that  the  territory  covered  by  a  council 
could  be  thoroughly  combed  for  opportunities. 

The  personnel  of  the  council,  the  coalescence  of  the  councils 
into  the  chapter  of  the  big  city,  and  the  enlarged  union  of  coun- 
cils and  chapters  under  the  State  Council  —  all  this  elaborate 
machinery  fitted  into  the  structure  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
employment  service.  The  membership  of  each  Knights  of 
Columbus  council  varied  from  one  hundred  to  several  thousand, 
each  council  had  among  its  members  representatives  of  every 
normal  occupation.  The  only  exclusion  exercised  by  the  Knights 
in  their  requirements  for  members  is  against  persons  engaged 
in  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors. 

Each  Knights  of  Columbus  council,  wherever  located,  was 
defined  and  established  as  a  particular  employment  unit,  com- 
prising five  committees  —  agricultural,  business,  industrial,  pro- 
fessional and  vocational.  Each  committee,  composed  of  five 
members  of  the  council,  represented  all  grades  of  activity  coming 
within  the  meaning  of  the  name  of  the  committee.  Each  committee, 
of  course,  was  chosen  for  the  purpose  of  securing  positions  and 
of  placing  men  in  them  by  members  acquainted  with  especial 
needs  and  opportunities. 


382      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

The  agricultural  committee  was  comprehensive,  consisting  of 
a  farmer,  practically  acquainted  with  the  needs  of  the  farming 
community  and  alive  to  the  opportunities  of  putting  men  on  the 
farm ;  a  grocer  or  storekeeper,  coming  into  general  contact  with 
the  people  of  the  community,  and  traveling  men  covering  the 
agricultural  centers  —  these  were  animated  clearing-houses  of 
all  sorts  of  information  in  every  center  they  served.  In  the  very 
large  cities  and  towns,  where  the  agricultural  committees  were 
obviously  unnecessary,  the  work  of  the  other  committees  was 
intensified  and  their  membership  was  enlarged  to  compensate 
for  the  absence  of  need  to  seek  rural  employment  for  the  service 
men. 

The  business  and  mercantile  committee  of  the  council  employ- 
ment-unit contained  a  banker  who,  by  virtue  of  his  calling,  came 
into  daily  contact  with  the  representative  business  men  of  the 
community  and  thus  was  in  intimate  touch  with  business  employ- 
ment needs;  a  newspaperman,  familiar  with  all  activities  and  in 
touch  with  conditions ;  the  merchant,  an  employer,  and  therefore 
understanding  not  only  his  own  needs  and  requirements,  but  wath 
knowing  the  needs  of  his  associates,  was  able  to  render  valuable 
service  in  advising  as  to  where  jobs  were  available. 

On  the  industrial  committee  of  the  council  employment-unit 
was  a  labor  leader,  who  attended  the  meetings  of  the  organiza- 
tions of  workers  and  in  this  way  learned  from  the  men  actually 
engaged  in  industry,  at  the  bench  and  in  the  mills  and  shops,  the 
prospects  for  jobs;  the  foreman,  in  close  touch  with  the  group 
of  men  under  his  charge,  and  in  contact  with  the  superintendent 
and  management,  thereby  enabled  to  know  of  positions  available 
in  departments  other  than  his  own;  and  the  representative  of 
capital,  thoroughly  acquainted  with  industry  and  how  far  it 
could  be  expanded  to  provide  work  for  discharged  service  men. 

According  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  employment  plan,  the 
professional  committee  of  the  council  consisted  of  the  attorney, 
knowing  where  men  might  be  placed  in  the  offices  of  lawyers, 
corporations  and  other  institutions;  the  doctor,  with  a  contact, 
close  and  personal  with  others  interested  in  the  finding  of  jobs 


Reconstruction  Work  383 

for  service  men,  and  the  real  estate  man  —  a  human  bureau  of 
information. 

The  fifth  committee  of  each  council,  the  vocational  committee, 
had  assigned  to  it  highly  important  work,  because  of  the  millions 
of  men  discharged  from  the  army  and  navy  who  were  more 
ambitious  and  able  to  climb  in  the  economic  scale  than  they  had 
been  before  entering  the  nation's  service,  and  eager  to  be  trained. 
The  pastor  headed  the  personnel  —  his  fatherly  encouragement 
being  of  inestimable  value  to  the  aspiring  young  men  —  the 
teacher  was  another  member,  and  the  civil  service  employee  com- 
pleted the  membership  of  this  committee,  his  knowledge  of  gov- 
ernment requirements  and  the  conditions  for  their  fulfillment 
being  particularly  valuable.  The  700  district  deputies  of  the 
Order  served  as  district  captains  over  the  different  council  com- 
mittees in  their  jurisdiction,  and  each  State  Deputy  held  the 
reigns  of  direction  in  his  state  jurisdiction.  In  addition,  the 
6,000  officers  of  subordinate  councils  augmented  the  permanent 
body  of  executive  talent  to  direct  the  efforts  of  the  volunteer 
job-finders. 

The  entire  machinery  was  under  the  direction  of  one  man, 
Peter  W.  Collins,  formerly  a  government  industrial  expert 
serving  with  the  United  States  Shipping  Board  for  the  promo- 
tion of  production  during  the  shipbuilding  crisis  of  the  war.  His 
title  was  Director  General  of  Reconstruction  and  Employment 
Service  and  he  was  responsible  for  the  perfecting  of  the  plan 
which  the  Knights  first  adopted  in  the  early  Summer  of  1918  as 
the  prescription  of  their  labors  when  hostilities  should  cease. 

Naturally,  some  time  had  to  elapse  before  this  extensive 
machinery  could  be  brought  to  operate  at  full  speed.  But  from 
the  first  moment  that  the  need  arose  of  obtaining  employment 
in  civilian  life  for  the  men  who  were  leaving  the  nation's  service, 
the  Knights  had  an  effective  system,  for  placing  the  man  in  touch 
with  prospective  employers.  This  was  accomplished  by  means 
of  an  extensive  card-index  method.  There  were  three  types  of 
cards,  one  for  the  soldier  to  fill  in,  stating  his  name,  character 
of  experience,  employment  desired  and  place  where  employment 


384      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

was  sought.  The  card  also  contained  information  regarding 
dependents,  etc.  The  card  was  then  sent  to  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  council  in  the  locality  where  the  service  man  desired 
employment,  and  the  cards  filled  in  by  employers  in  the  locality, 
stating  the  kind  of  men  they  needed,  were  examined.  The  serv- 
ice man  was  thus  put  into  instant  touch  with  opportunity  where 
he  desired  to  find  it. 

This  system  was  particularly  successful  because  the  cycle  of 
action  could  be  initiated  on  the  transports,  on  which  the  Knights 
maintained  secretaries  to  the  number  of  seventy.  It  was  even 
extended  to  the  camps  in  France  and  Germany.  It  obviated  an}' 
delay  in  obtaining  employment  for  a  man,  since  his  request  could 
precede  his  presence  in  the  place  where  he  desired  work.  The 
service  man  going  through  the  process  of  demobilization  was 
often  supplied  with  employment  through  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus before  that  process  was  completed.  Especially  was  the 
Knights'  card  service  effective  in  connecting  a  soldier  or  sailor 
or  marine  with  the  position  he  had  held  previous  to  enlistment. 

Tribute  to  the  effectiveness  of  this  system  was  singularly 
attested  by  the  officer  in  charge  of  employment-finding  for  the 
Seventy-seventh  Division.  After  examining  the  work  of  the 
various  auxiliary  agencies  engaged  in  seeking  employment  for 
service  men,  this  officer  requested  the  Knights  of  Columbus  to 
take  over  entirely  the  care  of  the  men  of  the  Seventy-seventh 
Division  in  positions  outside  New  York  City.  The  Knights  suc- 
ceeded in  placing  about  3,000  of  the  men. 

From  the  beginning  of  this  card  system  of  operation  the  Labor 
Department,  through  the  United  States  Employment  Service, 
credited  the  Knights  of  Columbus  with  larger  results  than  any 
organization  engaged  in  similar  work.  Director  Densmore,  of 
the  United  States  Employment  Service,  in  a  statement  in  the 
Labor  Department's  official  journal,  placed  the  Knights  at  the 
top  of  the  list  of  co-operating  agencies. 

Throughout  their  employment  w'ork  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
were  scrupulous  to  avoid  even  the  slightest  misunderstanding 
with  organized  labor.     On  the  cards   filled  out  by  employers 


Reconstruction  Work  385 

desiring  men  the  employer  was  required  to  state  specifically  that 
there  was  no  lock-out  or  strike,  current  or  impending,  in  his  busi- 
ness, store  or  factory.  This  did  away  instantly  with  any  sus- 
picion that  "  dumping  "  of  labor  might  be  unconsciously  brought 
about.  And  the  best  evidence  to  the  fact  that  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  worked  hand  in  hand  with  the  men  of  the  labor  organi- 
zations is  that  the  most  prominent  of  these  men  indorsed  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  job-finding  system. 

Miss  Sara  A.  Conboy,  secretary-treasurer  of  the  United  Tex- 
tile Workers  of  America,  in  a  letter  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
Director  of  Reconstruction  and  Employment,  described  the 
Order's  work  as  wonderful,  and  her  appreciation  was  shared  by 
every  other  labor  leader  who  examined  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
system.  From  the  employers'  standpoint,  chambers  of  com- 
merce throughout  the  country  expressed  their  regard  for  the  aid 
the  Knights  rendered  in  connecting  the  right  man  with  the  right 
job.  The  National  Association  of  Employment  Managers  wrote 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  under  date  of  May  29:  "The  dele- 
gates to  the  National  Convention  of  Employment  Managers  in 
convention  assembled  expressed  their  appreciation  of  your  offer 
of  co-operation  in  the  placing  of  discharged  service  men.  Mem- 
bers of  the  Association  throughout  the  country  will  be  glad  to 
assist  the  Reconstruction  and  Employment  Service  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  in  every  way  possible." 

Managers  of  some  of  the  largest  plants  in  the  country  hailed 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  as  a  source  of  the  help  they  were  eager 
to  receive  —  ambitious  lads  who  were  ready  and  willing  to  go 
into  large  industries  and  make  good.  Before  the  Knights  had 
operated  with  their  fullest  strength  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
for  the  offices  in  the  large  cities  to  be  flooded  with  requests  for 
men. 

These  requests  became  especially  prolific  after  the  Knights 
introduced  the  practice  of  paying  selected  veterans  to  find  work 
for  their  comrades  and  also  for  themselves,  a  plan  which  was 
originated  by  Joseph  C.  Pelletier,  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  Committee  on  War  Activities.     It  was  put  into  effect 


386      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

at  a  time  when  the  press  was  commenting  upon  the  fact  that  the 
job-finding  organizations  were,  doubtless,  securing  many  oppor- 
tunities for  service  men,  but  that  the  opportunities  were  not,  in 
large  measure,  attractive.  The  Knights  made  their  innovation 
of  paying  $4  per  day  to  young  "  veterans  "  to  look  for  work  so 
that  the  ex-service  men  would  be  able  to  go  into  positions  found 
by  men  who  had  looked  over  a  job  with  the  eyes  of  the  veteran 
who  was  to  fill  it. 

Beginning  in  New  York,  where  a  squad  of  100  veterans  was 
engaged  for  this  work,  the  Knights  carried  out  the  scheme  in 
other  large  cities.  The  100  men  represented  all  branches  of  the 
service.  They  were  divided  into  canvassing  teams,  each  team 
being  headed  by  a  captain.  The  various  teams  were  assigned  to 
different  zones  in  the  city,  and  each  day  a  thorough  combing  was 
made  for  all  available  jobs  in  these  zones.  On  the  first  day  of 
operation,  500  good  opportunities  were  found,  and  this  remark- 
able record  was  maintained  in  the  average  of  weekly  results. 

The  Knights  were  particularly  solicitous  for  men  incapaci- 
tated by  wounds.  They  were  successful  in  placing  large  numbers 
of  these  men  in  employment  where  their  disability  would  not 
deter  them  from  earning  a  satisfactory  livelihood.  As  this 
solicitude  on  the  part  of  the  Knights  became  known  through  the 
medium  of  publicity,  employers  would  inform  them  of  oppor- 
tunities especially  acceptable  to  disabled  men.  In  all,  the 
Knights'  canvassing  for  jobs  throughout  the  country  was  so 
energetically  directed  and  enthusiastically  undertaken  by  all  con- 
nected with  the  work,  that  at  times  embarrassment  was  experi- 
enced in  filling  the  needs  of  employers  who  returned  their  cards 
by  hundreds  to  the  Knights. 

By  an  actual  test  made  in  a  city  selected  at  random  —  Spring- 
fi.eld,  Mass., —  it  was  demonstrated  that  within  two  weeks  of 
applying  to  the  Knights  of  Columbus  for  a  position,  two-thirds 
of  the  applicants  were  accommodated.  And  this  was  no  singular 
phenomenon.  Even  quicker  results  were  obtained  in  many 
instances.  Hundreds  of  men  would  often  find  employment 
within  an  hour  or  two  of  applying  for  it.     Large  plants  would 


Reconstruction  Work  387 

find  themselves,  through  increased  orders,  in  need  of  scores  of 
helpers  of  all  trades.  They  applied  to  the  Knights,  and  were 
promptly  supplied. 

The  Knights  were  enabled  to  perform  a  most  useful  service 
of  reconstruction  by  encouraging  service  men,  while  yet  in  the 
service,  to  become  interested  in  employment  on  the  land.  The 
Department  of  the  Interior  donated  films  made  under  its  super- 
vision, depicting  life  on  the  land.  Naming  the  series  of  films 
"  God's  Own  Country,"  the  Knights  sent  them  abroad  for  exhi- 
bition in  all  their  clubs  overseas.  During  the  exhibition  of  the 
films,  brief  and  informative  talks  were  given  by  Miss  Elizabeth 
Marbury.  Thousands  of  boys  were  induced,  through  these 
exhibitions,  to  consider  their  prospects  in  agriculture,  to  seriously 
compare  the  possibilities  of  life  on  the  land  with  living  in  the 
cities,  with  the  result  that  those  born  and  bred  in  agricultural 
districts  had  renewed  their  ties  of  affection  for  the  land;  and 
many  who  had  hitherto  eked  out  ungenerous  livelihoods  in  the 
city  were  attracted  to  the  more  substantial  benefits  of  the  great 
farming  and  stockraising  states. 

The  Knights  rendered  this  co-operation  with  the  Department 
of  the  Interior  still  more  practical  by  keeping  in  close  touch  with 
labor  opportunities  in  the  agricultural  sections,  thus  enabling 
hundreds  of  men  to  obtain  employment  on  farms  and  ranches. 
The  re-employment  work  reached  so  marked  a  degree  of  effi- 
ciency that  its  published  results  were  doubted  by  professional 
employment  men,  one  of  whom  one  day  sought  to  surprise  the 
Knights  at  their  employment  bureau  in  New  York,  located  in 
the  famous  Longacre  Hut,  by  requesting  an  investigation  of  their 
records,  which  amply  satisfied  him  that  their  claims  were  more 
than  proved.  No  less  important  a  publication  than  The  Saturday 
Evening  Post  sent  a  special  investigator  to  New  York  in  the 
person  of  James  H.  Collins.  As  a  result  of  his  actual  experience 
with  the  Knights  of  Columbus  canvassers  he  wrote  an  article 
for  his  publication  entitled  "  Making  a  Better  Job  of  Job-Find- 
ing," which  was  the  most  discussed  single  study  of  the  problem 


388      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

of  soldier  re-employment  that  appeared  in  any  American 
publication. 

So  strenuous  was  the  pace  of  the  work  that  the  Knights  were 
unable  to  make  any  introspective  study  of  their  achievements. 
They  did  not  employ  what  are  known  as  "  efficiency  engineers  " 
in  their  employment  bureaux.  They  engaged  men  who  had  a 
nose  for  jobs  just  as  an  expert  journalist  has  a  nose  for  news. 
They  struck  the  whole  gamut  of  queer  trades  as  well  as  the  roster 
of  established  callings. 

They  supplied  a  theatrical  concern  seeking  a  corps  of  chorus 
men  to  replace  the  girls  who  had  monopolized  that  profession 
during  the  war  period.  When  a  practicing  conjuror  required  a 
small  army  of  aides  the  Knights  undertook  the  contract  and  sat- 
isfied him.  Similarly,  they  were  able  to  assist  many  young  men 
who  had  remarkable  records,  one  possessor  of  the  Congressional 
Medal  of  Honor,  going  to  them  when  all  other  avenues  were 
seemingly  closed.  Stonewall  Jackson's  grandson  was  one  of  the 
men  placed  by  the  Knights.  The  Longacre  Hut  bureau  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  was  one  of  the  most  picturesque  spots  in 
the  entire  country,  hundreds  of  ex-service  men  thronging  it  at 
an  early  hour  in  the  morning.  From  this  bureau  5,000  men  were 
placed  in  employment  in  every  month.  The  hut  on  Boston 
Common  had  proportionate  results,  and  so  had  the  bureaux 
located  in  all  other  cities. 

In  his  Saturday  Evening  Post  story  James  H.  Collins  paid 
tribute  to  the  broadness  of  the  Knights'  employment  program. 
He  recorded  the  instance  of  a  Knights  of  Columbus  canvasser 
who,  visiting  a  large  employer,  was  summarily  checked. 

"  The  K.  of  C.  get  jobs  only  for  Catholics,"  said  the  employer. 

"  That's  funny,"  said  the  canvasser,  "  I'm  a  Presbyterian  and 
they  pay  me  $4  a  day  to  look  for  jobs  for  other  Presbyterians  and 
any  other  kind  of  creed-holder." 

Throughout  their  work  the  Knights  never  required  knowl- 
edge of  the  denomination  of  any  man  they  served;  hence  it  is 
impossible  to  present  statistics  of  their  service  to  men  of  the 
non-Catholic   denominations,   but   from   statements  volunteered 


A  1^ 


Reconstruction  Work  389 

by  the  men  it  is  conservatively  estimated  that  more  than  half  of 
the  men  served  were  not  Catholics.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  there  were  approximately  seven  national  organizations 
engaged  in  employment  work  for  former  service  men.  The 
United  States  Employment  Service  co-ordinated  these  different 
agencies,  but  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  work  of  inde- 
pendent organizations  like  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was  more 
efifective  than  that  of  the  official  national  body,  for  in  the  summer 
of  1919,  when  tens  of  thousands  of  demobilized  men  were  seeking 
employment  in  our  great  cities.  Congress  declined  to  appropriate 
funds  for  the  continuance  of  the  Government's  employment 
service,  so  that  the  burden  of  the  work  fell  to  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  and  the  other  organizations.  They  displayed  increased 
energy  in  the  accomplishment  of  their  task.  In  some  cities  amal- 
gamations were  formed  between  different  societies,  local  and 
national.  The  Knights  of  Columbus  everywhere  acted  inde- 
pendently, having  demonstrated  that  better  results  could  be 
obtained  for  the  service  men  by  friendly  rivalry  in  service 
between  the  employment  systems.  This  made  the  search  for 
openings  so  intensive  that  every  industry  in  the  country  was 
thoroughly  ''  combed."  On  the  Pacific  Coast  and  in  the  near 
West  and  Northwest,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  found  plentiful 
opportunities.  It  was  in  the  crowded  industrial  sections  of  the 
Mid-west  and  East  that  employment  was  not  easily  found, 
especially  as  the  closing  of  innumerable  war  industries  threw  on 
the  market  large  quantities  of  semi-skilled  and  unskilled  labor, 
which  had  the  advantage  of  being  on  the  ground  while  the  serv- 
ice men  were  yet  undergoing  the  process  of  returning  home  and 
demobilization.  At  this  juncture  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
system  of  employment-finding,  beginning  as  it  did  over  in  France 
and  Germany  and  on  the  transports,  was  most  useful. 

Life  in  the  army  and  navy  had  made  former  indoor  occupa- 
tions distasteful  to  many  men :  a  decided  preference  was  shown 
for  outdoor  employment,  especially  in  the  motor  trades;  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  find  men  to  work  at  the  needle  trades, —  tail- 
oring and  shoemaking.  One  employment  bureau  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  —  that  in  New  York  — had  openings  for  1,000 
26 


390      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

tailors  for  as  many  as  four  consecutive  months.  The  trade  paid 
well;  but  it  was  unacceptable  to  the  men,  a  contributing  factor 
to  that  already  stated  being  the  general  age  of  tailors  which,  in 
New  York  at  least,  exceeded  the  first  draft  law  limits.  With 
their  rigid  observance  of  their  rule  not  to  solicit  or  list  any  posi- 
tion that  did  not  pay  a  minimum  of  eighteen  dollars  as  a  weekly 
wage  to  a  single  man,  it  is  surprising  that  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus were  able  to  make  so  large  a  monthly  turnover  of  jobs.  Per- 
haps it  is  also  surprising  that  the  Knights  found  hundreds  of 
employers  who  wanted  to  engage  former  service  men  at  weekly 
wages  of  twelve  and  fifteen  dollars ! 

Periodic  "  drives  "  for  jobs  were  launched  by  the  Knights 
when  the  routine  of  job-hunting  seemed  to  have  dulled  public 
support  of  their  efforts.  These,  strategically  placed  to  culminate 
on  Armistice  Day,  November  11,  Thanksgiving  Day,  Christmas 
Day  and  New  Year's  Day,  added  a  topical  touch  that  stimulated 
co-operation  on  the  part  of  large  employers.  At  the  same  time, 
during  the  height  of  what  might  be  called  the  "  strike  arc  "  the 
Knights  were  extremely  careful  to  avoid  any  act  that  might 
jeopardize  the  interests  of  labor  or  of  the  former  soldiers  and 
sailors  who  might,  in  good  faith,  seek  employment  with  strike- 
affected  concerns. 

While  the  actual  statistics  of  this  immense  and  fruitful 
employment  work  cannot  be  given  because  it  has  in  some  measure 
become  a  permanent  work,  yet  the  average  record  of  jobs  found 
throughout  the  entire  country  by  the  Knights  of  Columbus  was 
over  5,000  per  week.  And  while  the  heavy  credit  side  of  this 
average  was  recorded  during  the  first  months  of  the  work,  before 
the  balance  between  demand  and  supply  of  labor  was  rendered 
practically  even,  and  before  the  first  flush  of  patriotic  eagerness 
on  the  part  of  employers  to  supply  berths  to  veterans  had  sub- 
sided into  a  business-like  consideration  of  labor  necessity,  yet 
the  insistent  pursuit  of  good-paying  positions  for  the  men  was 
maintained  at  such  high  pressure  that  the  Knights  were  always 
able  to  give  the  inquiring  ex-service  man  a  generous  selection  of 
available  positions. 


Reconstruction  Work  391 

On  account  of  pre-emption  of  that  field  by  other  agencies  and 
by  the  government,  the  Knights  did  not  undertake  the  work  of 
operating  schools  for  disabled  men,  excepting  in  two  or  three 
locations,  such  as  at  Boston  and  Mineola,  where  their  aid  in 
this  direction  was  vitally  needed.  The  Knights  did,  however, 
keep  their  hut  libraries  well  stocked  with  useful  manuals  of  the 
trades,  so  that  disabled  as  well  as  uninjured  men  could  educate 
themselves  in  various  trades. 

The  Knights  also  maintained  educational  work  in  the  huts 
abroad  and  in  the  camps  at  home.  Languages,  especially 
French  and  Spanish,  were  taught  and,  although  there  might  be 
some  humorous  significance  to  this,  American  English.  Mathe- 
matics were  taught,  and  instruction  was  given  upon  many  prac- 
tical subjects,  such  as  bookkeeping,  accounting,  secretaryship. 
The  graduation  of  the  first  law  class  to  be  taught  in  a  camp  was 
conducted  in  Knights  of  Columbus  building  No.  2  at  Kelly  Field. 
Texas,  in  the  winter  of  1919.  Officers  and  enlisted  men  took 
the  course  in  commercial  law  under  Guy  C.  Grapple,  a  Knights 
of  Golumbus  secretary,  who  had  practised  law  in  Ghicago.  So 
unique  was  the  event  that  the  commander  at  the  camp  distrib- 
uted the  diplomas  and  praised  the  Knights  in  warm  terms  for 
their  successful  enterprise. 

This  had  been  the  beginning  of  the  Knights  of  Golumbus  edu- 
cational activities  in  the  camps.  The  movement  spread  rapidly. 
At  Fort  Totten,  N.  Y.,  the  Knights  opened  a  school  in  mathe- 
matics in  the  summer  of  1918,  operating  it  quietly  and  without 
much  public  attention,  w^hich  they  did  not  seek  for  this  sort  of 
activity  as,  rather  humorously,  they  feared  that  publicity  might 
destroy  this  source  of  effectiveness.  Out  of  two  hundred  men 
taking  the  Knights'  courses  at  Fort  Totten,  more  than  one  hun- 
dred were  enabled  to  pass  preliminary  examinations  for  commis- 
sions. This  emboldened  the  Knights  to  establish  schools  in  other 
army  camps,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  lengthy  and 
detailed  discussion  of  the  project  of  camp  education  did  not 
seem  to  be  resulting  in  definite  activity  on  the  part  of  the  Gov- 
ernment.     Schools   were   accordingly   opened   at   Gamps    Dix, 


392      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Upton  and  Devens,  with  surprising  results.  Thousands  of  men 
enrolled  for  courses.  Other  camps  were  given  Knights  of 
Columbus  schools  in  the  East,  at  Paris  Island,  the  famous 
Marines  camp,  a  flourishing  school  was  quickly  in  operation; 
Camp  Mead  received  one,  and  with  the  spread  of  the  movement 
south  and  west  the  Knights  of  Columbus  camp  schools  became  as 
much  a  part  of  camp  life  as  the  Order's  huts.  By  mid-summer, 
1919,  the  Knights  had  more  than  25,000  officers  and  enlisted  men 
enrolled  in  their  schools,  the  officers  attending  in  proportion  to 
their  general  numbers  in  the  military  strength.  Major-General 
Nicholson,  commander  at  Camp  Upton,  thought  so  highly  of 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  school  in  that  camp  that  he  issued  a 
public  order  which  obliged  every  man  under  his  command  to 
attend  the  camp  school  or  give  a  good  reason  why  he  should 
not  do  so.  At  Camp  Dix,  Major-General  Harry  Hale  set  his 
men  a  good  example  by  personally  attending  one  of  the  courses. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  render  a  comparative  account  of 
the  usefulness  of  the  schools  in  the  various  camps.  A  uniform 
curriculum  prevailed,  "  the  bread-and-butter  courses  "  in  liveli- 
hood callings,  especially  those  concerned  with  mechanical  knowl- 
edge, prevailing  in  popularity.  But  the  act  of  the  commandant  of 
Camp  Devens  in  issuing  an  official  booklet  concerning  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  camp  school  in  which  he  set  forth  the 
Knights'  prospectus  and  urged  all  the  men  in  his  command  to 
take  advantage  of  the  courses,  is  typical  of  the  appreciation 
shown  by  commanders  everywhere  of  the  efforts  made  by  the 
Knights  to  benefit  their  men. 

By  the  time  this  nation-wide  chain  of  schools  was  working 
with  maximum  effectiveness  the  Knights  were  faced  with  the 
necessity  of  leaving  the  camps  at  the  War  Department's  order. 
This  they  did,  leaving,  the  army  department  with  perfectly 
equipped  camp  schools.  The  loss  of  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus instructors  was  instantly  felt  and  the  efficiency  of  the  schools 
promptly  diminished.  The  Knights,  in  a  measure,  made  up  for 
this  loss  to  the  men  in  the  service  by  developing  a  work  they  had 


Reconstruction  Work  393 

already  launched  —  that  of  supplementary  community  schools, 
known  sometimes  as  schools  for  demobilized  service  men. 

This  work  can  be  said  to  have  had  its  beginning  in  Boston, 
where  the  splendidly  equipped  Knights  of  Columbus  service 
house  on  Berkeley  street,  under  the  enthusiastic  leadership  of 
Department  Director  Daniel  J.  Sullivan,  of  Fall  River  Mass., 
had  been  converted  into  a  school  in  the  late  Winter  of 
1919  while  yet  retaining  essential  community  house  features, 
of  a  dormitory,  kitchen,  etc.  Ex-service  men  enrolled  in  this 
school  by  the  hundreds  and  its  work  became  famous,  a  competent 
corps  of  instructors  being  engaged  to  give  the  courses,  which  did 
not  vary  from  those  given  in  the  camps,  excepting  by  the  addition 
of  a  thorough  study  of  the  American  Constitution,  to  replace  the 
rather  indefinite  course  known  as  ''Americanization,"  In  August, 
1919,  twenty-one  hundred  former  army  and  navy  men  were 
enrolled  in  the  school.  As  a  result  the  Knights  were  prompted 
to  launch  their  supplementary  school  program  at  the  Supreme 
Convention  in  Buffalo  in  1919. 

Previous  to  this  convention  the  Supreme  Board  of  Directors 
had  instituted  a  Committee  on  Education,  composed  of  Supreme 
Knight  James  A.  Flaherty,  Supreme  Secretary  William  J. 
McGinley  and  Supreme  Advocate  Joseph  C.  Pelletier.  At  the 
instance  of  this  committee,  well-known  educators  were  invited 
to  a  conference  in  New  York  City  in  July,  among  those  attend- 
ing being  Mr.  Michael  J.  Dow^ney,  of  the  Massachusetts  State 
Board  of  Education,  a  man  largely  responsible  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  this  new  w-ork,  the  Reverend  John  J.  Wynne,  S.  J.,  Editor 
of  the  Catholic  Encyclopedia,  Mr.  James  F.  Byrne,  of  the  New 
York  State  Board  of  Regents,  the  Reverend  Dr.  Edward  A.  Pace, 
Director  of  Studies  at  the  Catholic  University  of  America,  and 
Mr.  Edward  D,  Devine,  of  the  Detroit  Board  of  Education. 
These  gentlemen,  after  consulting  with  some  of  the  nation's 
leading  educators,  recommended  a  program  to  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  Educational  Committee  which  the  committee,  in  turn, 
presented  at  the  Supreme  Council  meeting  in  Buffalo.  This  pro- 
gram, the  first  national  supplementary  educational  movement  to 


394      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

be  undertaken  by  a  Catholic  organization,  is  of  the  utmost  his- 
torical interest.     The  committee  recommended: 

(i)  That  the  courses  to  be  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  Order  should 
be  vocational  or  occupational,  fitting  the  students  for  skilled  positions  in 
business  or  industries. 

(2)  That  we  should  use  all  the  influence  of  the  Order,  and  bring  pres- 
sure from  every  possible  agency  at  our  command  to  induce  as  many  of 
our  men  and  women,  without  respect  of  age,  to  pursue  some  study  as  a 
means  of  improving  their  condition  and  increasing  their  influence. 

(3)  That  we  should  have  a  central  bureau  of  information  in  touch  with 
ever}-  available  source  of  education  in  special  branches,  and  equipped  to 
place  this  information  at  the  disposal  of  the  councils  engaged  in  educational 
work. 

(4)  That  we  should  give  certificate  or  some  form  of  recognition  for  the 
studies  followed  in  our  schools,  with  a  view  to  meeting  the  academic 
requirements  of  state  or  local  authorities  for  civil  service  or  teachers' 
positions,  or  for  the  purpose  of  satisfying  employers. 

(5)  That  we  have  it  in  our  power  to  give  courses  in  American  citizen- 
ship which  will  surpass  any  now  given  in  our  schools  or  social  agencies, 
and  that  we  are  also  singularly  competent  to  give  what  others  cannot  give  — 
vocational  guidance  as  well  as  vocational  training. 

It  was  the  decided  opinion  of  the  gentlemen  who  had  been  con- 
sulted that  by  a  strong  system  of  education  the  Order  could  do 
much  to  relieve  the  social  unrest  of  the  country  and  enable  its 
own  members  and  its  students  to  become  influential  and  promi- 
nent factors  in  American  life.  The  committee  further  recom- 
mended : 

That  councils  of  the  Order  establish  educational  courses  for  members 
of  the  Order  and  for  such  others  as  may  wish  to  avail  themselves  of  these 
courses. 

That  classes  be  open  to  men  and  boys  of  good  character,  regardless  of 
creed,  and  wherever  possible  to  women  and  girls. 

That  these  courses  should  not  duplicate  the  work  of  such  other  educa- 
tional agencies  as  are  now  providing,  satisfactorily,  instruction  in  the 
branches  included  in  this  plan. 

That  wherever  these  courses  are  established,  councils  should  co-operate 
with  other  educational  agencies  in  the  neighborhood-,  and  avail  themselves 
generally  of  the  educational  resources  of  every  school  system,  public  and 
private. 

That,  in  general,  the  courses  proposed  should  enable  our  members  and 
others  to  supplement  their  studies  in  commercial  and  industrial  knowledge 
and  to  prepare  for  the  professions. 


Reconstruction  Work  395 

That  before  establishing  a  school  in  a  locality,  the  laws  affecting  edu- 
cation in  the  state  and  municipality  should  be  considered,  and  the  policy 
established  of  conforming  with  them  in  every  particular.  This  is  important, 
not  only  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  authorization  to  give  certificates  and 
to  register  counts  which  the  state  or  town  boards  of  education  will  recog- 
nize, but  also  as  an  indication  of  our  resepct  for  civil  government  and  co-op- 
eration with  civil  authorities. 

That,  in  the  same  spirit,  the  greatest  care  should  be  taken  not  to  inter- 
fere with  any  existing  Catholic  educational  center  or  school  system,  but 
to  co-ordinate  our  work  everywhere  with,  that  of  the  Church. 

That  effort  be  made  to  adapt  these  courses  to  the  needs  of  -employers  an*d 
industry  in  general,  and  to  secure  the  active  co-operation  of  labor. 

The  range  of  subjects  herein  enumerated  is  submitted  with  the  understand- 
ing that  it  will  be  the  part  of  each  council  or  group  of  councils  to  choose 
such  courses  as  meet  the  needs  of  the  locality  and  such  as  their  resources 
can  supply.  Wherever  possible,  specialized  short  unit  courses  omitting 
non-essentials  should  be  provided.  In  every  course  special  emphasis  should 
be  laid  upon  the  importance  of  American  citizenship,  in  which  special  courses 
should  be  offered,  varying  from  instruction  in  elementary  English  or  civics 
to  lectures  upon  the  fundamental  principles  of  American  democracy. 

Following  is  a  suggested  list  of  some  of  the  subjects  which  may  be  offered 
in  the  commercial  course : 

Accounting. —  Bookkeeping  and  elementary  accounting ;  principles  of 
accounting;  account  practice  and  problems;  cost  accounting;  auditing;  pub- 
lic service  corporation  accounting;  business  mathematics. 

Banking  and  Finance. —  Corporation  and  business  finance;  investments 
and  speculation;  credits  and  collections;  banking  (from  standpoint  of  busi- 
ness men)  ;  real  estate;  insurance;  salesmanship. 

Marketing. —  Marketing  methods ;  salesmanship  and  sales  management ; 
advertising;  retail  merchandising;  domestic  transportation  and  merchandise 
delivery. 

Foreign  Trade. —  Foreign  trade,  general  course ;  foreign  trade,  financing 
(banking,  exchange,  credits)  ;  documentation;  shipping  and  ocean  trans- 
portation; marine  insurance;  commercial  geography;  special  markets,  South 
America,  Europe,  Far  East. 

Management. —  Business  management ;  labor  management  (industrial  rela- 
tions) ;  office  organization  and  management;  purchasing  and  storing. 

Business  Law. —  General  course,  negotiable  instruments;  personal  prop- 
erty ;  sales ;  bailments ;  carriers ;  bankruptcy ;  business  competition. 

Commercial  Correspondence, — Commercial  English,  French,  German, 
Spanish,  Italian. 


396      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Miscellaneous. —  Private    secretarial    course ;   junior   clerks'    course ;   per- 
sonal development ;  civil  service  courses. 

In  the  Industrial  Courses: 

Airship  Construction. —  Mechanics ;  parts ;  carpentry. 

Automobiles. —  Construction  ;  repair  and  care ;  motorcycles ;  motors. 

Motion  Picture  Operating. — Assembling;  design;  maintenance;  photo- 
graphy ;  taking. 

Electrical. —  Elementary;  machine  design  and  construction;  systems  and 
installation  ;  maintenance ;  plant  management. 

Jewelry  Workers. —  Design  and  work. 

Plumbing  —  Engineering  —  Industrial  Relations  —  Lithography  —  Print- 
ing —  Linotype. 

Decorating. —  Designing,  house  and  factory. 

Welding. —  Electric ;  acetylene. 

Ventilation. —  Systems  ;  factory  installation. 

Heating. —  Systems ;  installation. 

Examiners. —  Employment  ( varied  ) . 

Inspectors. —  Industrial;  health;  safety. 

Foreman. —  Civil  service. 

Language,  literature,  history,  civics  and  ethics,  emphasizing  in  literature 
the  best  expression  of  our  American  ideals  and  spirit ;  in  history,  the  origin 
and  meaning  of  our  institutions,  particularly  of  our  democracy  and  system 
of  representative  government,  and  in  ethics  the  three  things  for  which  our 
government  was  established  —  life,  liberty  and  happiness,  showing  how  these 
depend  on  our  principles  about  authority,  law,  obligations,  human  rights  and 
duties,  property,  capital,  labor,  wages,  strikes,  arbitration,  profit  sharing,  etc. 

It  is  understood  that  the  subjects  or  groupings  of  subjects  would  vary  to 
meet  the  particular  needs  of  persons  and  localities.  Special  subjects  may  be 
grouped  to  form  special  courses. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  courses  should  be  provided  in  religion. 

Teachers. —  The  faculty  in  each  school  should  be  chosen  from  men  of 
eminent  standing  both  for  their  character  and  their  acquaintance  with  the 
subject  which  they  are  to  teach,  as  well  as  for  loyalty  to  American  insti- 
tutions. The  function  of  teaching  is  as  responsible  as  any  office  exercised 
for  the  government ;  it  should  therefore  require  the  same  spirit  and  pledge 
of  loyalty. 

Text  Books. —  The  text  books  should  be  the  best  available.  In  the  begin- 
ning they  might  be  selected  from  among  those  which  are  used  in  the  schools 
in  the  locality.  If  used  in  sufficient  number,  the  publishers  would  consent 
to  let  them  bear  the  imprint  of  the  Order.  Gradually  a  common  system  of 
text  books  might  be  produced. 

Maintenance. —  As  for  the  management  we  recommend  that  a  committee 
be  appointed  by  the  Supreme  Knight,  subject  to  the  Board  of  Directors 


Reconstruction  Work  397 

with  its  office  at  New  Haven,  this  committee  to  be  guided  by  an  advisory 
board  of  educators  representative  of  the  country  and  competent  to  direct 
studies  in  the  subject  to  be  taught. 

For  the  maintenance  of  the  committee,  to  enable  it  to  render  assistance 
to  some  of  the  local  schools  in  need  of  it ;  to  meet  the  expense  of  a  secretary, 
of  a  stenographer,  the  formation  of  an  educational  reference  library  and 
traveling  and  other  expense  of  the  advisory  board,  an  appropriation  of  $50,- 
000  is  recommended  for  the  coming  year.  It  is  understood  that  the  schools 
as  much  as  possible,  be  self-sustaining  by  means  of  fees  of  the  students  and 
by  such  assistance  as  the  council  may  see  fit  to  render. 

Conclusion. —  It  is  not  the  first  time  that  the  Order  has  promoted  edu- 
cation, notably  in  its  foundation  of  the  Chair  of  American  History  and  of 
scholarships  at  the  Catholic  University  of  America,  as  well  as  by  the  estab- 
lishment of  scholarships  by  many  councils  in  the  colleges  of  their  city  and 
state;  its  wonderful  lecture  courses  under  the  auspices  of  Supreme,  State 
and  subordinate  councils;  its  dissemination  of  Catholic  literature,  and  its 
splendid  educational  work  in  the  camps,  which  has  been  so  successful  as  to 
merit  the  commendation  of  commanding  officials  everywhere.  We,  there- 
fore, may  undertake  this  new  enterprise  without  misgivings,  and  make  it 
as  widespread  as  the  Order  itself,  by  having  every  council  do  its  utmost 
for  the  further  education  of  its  own  members  and  such  others  as  may 
desire  to  avail  of  our  facilities. 

The  Supreme  Council  unanimously  and  viva  voce  indorsed  tnis 
program  and  voted  $50,000  from  the  Knights  of  Columbus  Gen- 
eral (private)  Fund  to  defray  the  expenses  of  initiating  organiza- 
tion. Mr.  John  J.  Cummings,  a  well-known  Boston  educator, 
was  appointed  secretary  of  the  Educational  Committee,  and  he 
immediately  assumed  his  duties  at  the  Order's  headquarters  in 
New  Haven.  Nothwithstanding  the  enthusiasm  with  which  the 
work  was  indorsed  and  entered  upon,  the  physical  labor  of  organi- 
zation was,  at  the  outset,  realized  to  be  stupendous  —  the 
Knights  knew  that  it  would  be  a  matter  of  years,  perhaps,  before 
their  ambitions  of  a  nation-wide  system  of  supplementary  schools 
would  be  in  complete  operation.  But  the  requests  received  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  for  information  concerning  these  schools, 
and  the  messages  of  congratulation  pouring  into  headquarters 
confirmed  the  opinion  that  the  Knights  had  found  a  profitable 
and  necessary  opening  for  their  energies. 


398      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

With  the  Boston  school  as  the  landmark  of  the  system,  the 
Knights  in  Youngtown,  Baltimore,  Washington,  Buffalo,  Louis- 
ville, Cincinnati,  New  Orleans,  Cambridge,  Charleston,  N.  C, 
Seattle,  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles  and  Providence  organized 
schools,  which  were  opened  seriatim.  Utica  Council  organized 
a  school  in  its  handsome  club  building  and  its  example  spurred 
on  councils  in  cities  of  similar  size  to  do  likewise.  From  the 
very  first  the  movement  received  an  impetus  that  warranted  suc- 
cess in  the  fulness  of  time.  New  York  received  two  schools  in 
October  and,  at  the  time  this  record  was  undergoing  final  prepara- 
tion for  the  press,  prospects  of  schools  opening  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  were  bright  and  reassuring. 

The  Committee  on  War  Activities  helped  the  councils  by  con- 
tinuing its  aid  for  demobilized  men.  These  men  were  given  free 
tuition  and  books  in  the  schools.  And  so  scientifically  had  the 
system  of  education  at  cost  been  worked  out  by  the  Education 
Committee  that  the  Knights  found  themselves  able  to  offer 
civilian  applicants  a  full  fifteen-weeks'  course  in  so  popular  a 
subject  as  auto  mechanics  for  sixty  dollars. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Committee  on  War  Activities  in  Boston 
in  the  middle  of  October  it  was  decided  to  make  the  supplemen- 
tary school  system  the  leading  reconstruction  w^ork  of  the  Order, 
while  maintaining  the  employment  bureaux  in  full  force.  The 
millions  of  demobilized  men  literally  craved  for  education  and 
training  that  would  increase  their  opportunities  in  life,  and  the 
Knights  have  properly  concluded  that  the  aid  to  be  given  to  these 
men  should  not  be  merely  transitory  but  should  be  continued 
until  the  men's  wants  had  been  supplied. 

Accordingly,  with  a  view  to  promoting  higher  education  among 
the  American  veterans  of  the  war  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
Committee  on  War  Activities,  at  the  suggestion  of  Supreme 
Treasurer  Daniel  J.  Callahan,  offered,  late  in  August,  one  hun- 
dred scholarships  in  the  leading  technical  and  academic  institu- 
tions of  the  country.  These  scholarships  included  tuition,  books 
and  maintenance  and  were  awarded  subject  to  the  applicant 
passing  the  examination  of  the  institution  he  desired  to  enter. 


Reconstruction  Work  399 

the  Committee  reserving  the  right  to  distribute  the  awards 
geographically.  No  fewer  than  three  thousand  applications  were 
received,  every  State  in  the  Union  being  represented  in  the 
number,  men  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  cabled 
their  applications  from  Europe,  one  from  as  far  as  .Coblenz, 
Germany.  The  committee  found  .the  bulk  of  the  applicants  so 
worthy  that  they  decided  to  increase  the  number  of  scholarships 
from  one  hundred  to  whatever  might  be  necessary  to  accommo- 
date the  men  who  could  pass  the  examinations  for  the  different 
.institutions.  More  than  nine  hundred  men,  having  sufficient  pre- 
vious education  to  warrant  their  appearance  before  a  board  of 
examiners,  were  finally  selected  for  the  definitive  examinations. 

In  the  first  flood  of  applications  the  interesting  fact  was  dis- 
closed that  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  men  desired  technical  education, 
as  engineers,  chemists,  etc.,  fifteen  per  cent,  desired  academic 
training,  five  per  cent,  instruction  in  mining,  ten  per  cent,  in 
architecture,  ten  per  cent,  in  foreign  service,  and  ten  per  cent, 
courses  in  law  and  medicine,  though  the  last  two  were  not 
included  in  the  Order's  offer. 

So  many  applications  were  made  that  the  Board  increased  the 
number  of  scholarships  from  one  hundred  to  a  number  necessary 
to  accommodate  those  eligible.  The  following  assignment  of 
students  was  made : 

Academic  Institutions  :  Catholic  University  of  America,  23 ;  Creigh- 
ton  University,  3 ;  University  of  Dallas,  2 ;  DePaul  University ;  University 
of  Detroit,  3 ;  Dubuque  College,  i ;  Duquesne  University,  2 ;  Fordham  Uni- 
versity, 17;  Gonzaga  University,  2;  Holy  Cross -College,  22;  Loyola  Uni' 
varsity  (Chicago);  Loyola  University  (New  Orleans),  2;  Manhattan  Col- 
lege, I ;  Mt.  Angel  College ;  Mt.  St.  Charles  'College,  i ;  Niagara  Univer- 
sity, 2 ;  Notre  Dame  University,  9 ;  Santa  Clara  University,  i ;  St.  Louis 
University,  2;  College  of  St.  Thomas  (St.  Paul),  4;  Villanova  College,  3. 

Technical  Institutions:  Brooklyn  Polytechnic,  6;  University  of 
California,  11;  Colorado  School  of  Mines,  2;  Georgetown  University,  47,; 
University  of  Illinois,  49 ;  Louisiana  State  University,  1 1 ;  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology,  58;  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  5;  University 
of  Missouri,  i;  University  'of  Minnesota,  8;  Montana  State  Agriculture; 
Ohio  State  College,  4 ;  Oregon  Agricultural  College,  3 ;  University  of  Penn- 
sylvannia,  31 ;  Purdue  University,  5;  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  19;  Stevens 


400      The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  Peace  and  War 

Institute  of  Technology,  15;  St.  John's  of  Toledo;  West  Virginia  Univer- 
sity, 3 ;  Worcester  Polytechnic  Institute,  7 ;  University  of  Notre  Dame,  16. 

Devoid  of  red  tape  and  handled  in  a  ({uick,  businesslike  way, 
as  the  President  of  the  Worcester  Polytechnic  Institute  testified 
in  a  letter  printed  elsewhere  in  this  book,  the  immense  labor  of 
receiving,  tabulating  and  generally  supervising  the  applications, 
of  directing  examinations  and  handling  the  thousand-and-one 
details  of  the  undertaking  was  accomplished  in  the  surprisingly 
short  space  of  two  months,  scores  of  the  men  being  at  their  desks 
in  lecture  halls  within  a  month  of  mailing  their  applications. 

The  total  expense  of  the  scholarships  has  been  estimated  at 
more  than  a  million  and  a  quarter  dollars  for  the  four-year 
course  period,  the  Knights  supplying  twelve  dollars  per  week 
during  the  scholastic  year  for  maintenance  to  the  men  who  did 
not  secure  board  and  lodging  at  the  colleges  or  schools.  The 
returns  to  the  nation  in  having  a  body  of  well-educated  young 
war  veterans  at  its  disposal  cannot  be  calculated  in  terms  of 
money. 

The  press  of  the  nation  acclaimed  this  movement  as  one  of 
the  most  far-sighted  and  generous  works  of  reconstruction  to  be 
undertaken  by  either  the  Government  or  a  relief  organization. 
The  need  it  met  is  illustrated  by  the  story  of  one  of  the  successful 
applicants  who  was  a  pugilist  in  Denver,  Colorado.  He  traveled 
all  the  way  from  Denver  to  New  Haven  to  file  his  application 
with  the  Knights,  spending  all  his  scant  savings  on  the  trip.  He 
was  subjected  to  the  same  examination  given  all  other  applicants, 
and  proved  fitted,  receiving  a  scholarship  at  Sheffield  Scientific 
School  (Yale  University).  This  young  man,  who  might  have 
been  forced  by  sheer  circumstances  to  follow  the  ring  as  a  means 
of  livelihood  has  now  the  prospect  of  a  successful  career  as  a 
nation-builder,  an  engineer. 

Scores  of  instances  similar  in  their  appeal  to  human  interest 
might  be  cited.  The  entire  work  was  truly  described  by  the 
press  as  a  masterpiece  of  human  kindness.  Dovetailing  with  the 
Order's  plan  for  general  supplementary  education,  it  combines 


Reconstruction  Work  401 

in  the  most  solid  effort  for  reconstruction  undertaken  by  a  single 
organization.  The  Knights'  entire  scheme,  so  practically  and 
promptly  put  into  operation,  with  such  enthusiasm  and  yet  such 
businesslike  care  for  detail,  has  literally  opened  the  eyes  of  all 
observers.  What  great  foundations  have  hesitated  to  do,  or  have 
done  only  after  exhaustive  research  and  amid  a  maze  of  restric- 
tions and  stipulations,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  have  done 
generously  and  with  amazing  speed.  Yet  our  amazement  is 
lessened  when  we  reflect  that  their  splendid  war  relief  work  had 
already  served  to  inform  the  public  of  their  character  as  doers 
rather  than  dreamers.  In  the  words  of  a  writer  in  The  Outlook 
they  recognized  that  most  methods  of  uplift  had  heretofore  over- 
looked the  law  of  gravitation,  so  they  founded  their  reconstruc- 
tion endeavors  on  that  wholesome  and  almost  infallible  principle 
of  common  sense  —  of  doing  things  that  should  be  done  when 
they  can  be  done  —  with  what  spectacular  and  very  real  success 
the  world  knows. 


CONCLUSION 

IN  this  record  of  the  war  work  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
and  in  the  honor  roll  of  Columbianism  in  the  second  volume 
of  this  book,  the  world  is  presented  with  proof  of  the 
magnanimous  fulfillment  of  the  pledge  made  by  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  Supreme  Board  of  Directors,  following  the  declaration 
of  war,  that  the  Order  would  devote  all  its  influence  and 
resources  to  the  nation's  aid.  This  record  demonstrates  that  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  are  an  active  group  in  our  economy,  a 
group  dominated  by  a  single  impulse  —  to  work  tirelessly  for  the 
country's  welfare,  to  work  for  that  union  of  spiritual  and 
material  good  that  is  the  true  prescription  for  a  happy  and  secure 
national  life. 

In  the  beginning,  the  Knights  adopted  as  a  secondary  slogan, 
the  significant  colloquialism,  "  See  him  through,"  and  they  have 
not  only  seen  the  service  man  through  his  term  of  enlistment 
with  the  colors,  but  back  to  civilian  life  and  to  a  better  oppor- 
tunity in  the  world.  The  Knights  have  seen  the  nation  through. 
They  stand  before  their  countrymen  as  the  embodiment  of  that 
Catholic  patriotism  which  has  never  faltered  and  which  never 
more  gloriously  distinguished  itself  than  in  the  late  war.  The 
Hierarchy  pledged  all  possible  Catholic  aid  and  comfort  to  the 
Government;  Bishop  Muldoon  pledged  the  fullest  endeavor  on 
the  part  of  the  noble  Catholic  sisterhoods,  the  superior  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus  pledged  the  personnel  and  institutions  of  that 
famous  body  in  America's  cause.  All  these  pledges  have  been 
religiously  fulfilled,  adding  to  the  inspiring  story  of  Catholic 
achievement  for  the  upbuilding  and  preservation  of  the  American 
nation. 

If  the  denominational  note  is  stressed  in  this  final  statement 
of  satisfaction,  it  is  because  American  Catholics,  in  past  years, 
have  sufifered  through  malicious  propaganda  that  has  belittled 
and  misinterpreted  their  patriotism.  It  is  not  a  case  of  protest- 
ing our  loyalty  too  much ;  it  is  merely  a  matter  of  recording  per- 
manently, if  inadequately,  the  Catholic  contribution  to  the 
common  victory. 

[402] 

ST.  IGNATIUS'  RESIDENCE 
PORTLAND 


THE  KNIOBIT^    OW  CmMMNO^  JM  WKM:^  AUB'V^mik. 


Statue  of  the  MARQUIS  de  LAFAYETTE  preacnted  by  the  Knight*  of  Colombus 
to  the  City  of  Mctz,  Krance. 


\^ 


Conclusion  403 

Leaders  of  non-Catholic  denominations  have  frankly  declared 
their  opinions  that  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  by  their  war  relief 
and  reconstruction  work,  coalesced  Catholic  action  and  im- 
measurably augmented  Catholic  prestige.  It  is  unthinkable  that 
the  Knights  should  now  withdraw  from  the  ranks  of  public-wel- 
fare bodies.  None  can  tell  what  exigencies  may  arise  after  the 
present  intensive  reconstruction  period  is  ended.  The  Knights, 
having  won  public  confidence  so  thoroughly,  having  become  quite 
literally  a  household  word,  must  continue  their  welfare  work  in 
whatever  avenues  their  wisdom  and  the  call  of  necessity  may 
elect.  America  has  learned  to  love  these  Knights,  to  regard  them 
as  modest  and  robust  practitioners  of  Americanism.  The  nation 
knows  them  as  unselfish,  chivalrous  Christians  and  is  ready  to 
support  and  applaud  whatever  work  they  undertake,  for  they 
have  demonstrated  the  validity  of  the  sturdy  American  phil- 
osophy that  altruism  docs  not  depend  upon  cant  and  pietism,  but 
upon  a  happy  combination  of  services  for  the  betterment  of  soul 
and  body. 


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